Celtics Legend Critical Of Marcus Smart’s Play With Boston

Boston Celtics fans could have a love-hate relationship when it came to Marcus Smart. It appears a Celtics legend felt the same way about the veteran guard, too.

The Celtics stunning trade of Smart to acquire Kristaps Porzingis earlier this week drummed up plenty of emotion after Smart spent all nine seasons of his NBA career with Boston. But Bob Cousy certainly didn’t hold back his feelings on Smart’s tenure with the Celtics.

The 94-year-old Cousy, who won six NBA titles with the Celtics, was a master at playing the point guard position and he felt Smart came up short while trying to fulfil that role.

“I liked Smart,” Cousy told The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy. “I didn’t like some of the things he did. He thought he was a point guard when he was not. His mind was more to create opportunities for himself. In my judgment, point guards have to come across midcourt thinking, ‘How am I going to set one of the other guys up?’ That was never his thing. You would think he would wake up one morning and say, ‘I wonder why I’m always open at crucial times?'”

Smart was anointed as the team’s point guard once the Celtics moved on from Kemba Walker — he had his best two seasons as a passer those two years. But despite Smart’s offensive shortcomings, he provided an impact in areas that are tough to quantify. The 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year had a knack for delivering necessary hustle plays, something Cousy did not overlook.

“But with that said, I would always have him in the game because he does so much more. He does intangible things,” Cousy said. “With guys who played with his intensity, you just can’t measure the effect that has on the other four people. So I could have been reluctant to let him go.”

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens admitted it was a difficult decision to send Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team deal.

And now Grizzlies fans will get their chance to ride the rollercoaster that is the Smart experience.