Williams and Smart both are longshots to win Defensive Player of the Year
Neither Marcus Smart or Robert Williams were able to suit up for the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons, but both likely will be back when the team returns from the NBA All-Star break.
Smart and Williams have been largely impactful on the offensive end lately — Williams has the highest single-season offensive rating of any player all-time — but they have been even more impressive on the defensive end.
The Celtics entered Wednesday night’s showdown against the Detroit Pistons winners of their last nine games and have done it with their defense. Boston has held opponents under 100 points in seven of the nine wins and currently boast the second-highest rated defense in the entire league.
Smart and Williams are two of the biggest reasons why, but they’re still not getting much love from bookmakers regarding the Defensive Player of the Year award. Williams currently has the 10th highest odds at 60-to-1 and Smart is in 11th at 100-to-1, both according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
With the way the team is playing and the success each have had, it wouldn’t be surprising to see both of these two on an All-Defensive team when the season comes to an end. Who knows, maybe one even will put themselves further into the DPOY conversation.
Smart and Williams both are longshots, but with odds that high, it wouldn’t cost a lot of money to potentially see a big payout. If you place a $100 wager down on Williams and he wins it you would walk away with $6,000 in profit. If you did the same with Smart and he claimed it, you’d win $10,000.
Boston’s defense has completely turned a corner since Jan. 1 and shows no sign of slowing down. By season’s end if the Celtics continue to play the way they are, these odds will be significantly lower.