After overcoming their first slump of the season, the Boston Celtics have straightened the course and with their very good victory this Thursday once morest the Clippers by 116-110added their fourth win in a row, establishing themselves as the best league record: 26-10.
Of course, Boston not only has the best record in the NBA, but also leads the offensive category, scoring over 118 points per 100 possessions. And although in the center of that domain appear the figures of Jayson Tatum (29 and 11 rebounds once morest Clippers) and Jaylen Brown (29 and 7), there is another name that cannot and should not go unnoticed: Marcus Smart.
When talking regarding Smart, the first thing that comes to mind is his impact as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and a winning player, capable of making the dirty work to help the Celtics. However, there is one area in which the former Oklahoma State appears increasingly assertive and productive: his role as driver and assistant.
This three play sequence is beautiful. Smart dropping dimes. pic.twitter.com/KJyE3zeNPK
— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) December 24, 2022
Smart showed that facet once morest the Clippers, adding 9 assists in addition to his 17 points. With that mark, he now averages 7.4 season touchdown passesby far the best number of his career: 5.9 was his top, achieved last season.
His 7.4 assists put him as the 12th best passer in the leaguebut with a huge difference with the rest of those who dominate that list: Smart has much less the ball in his hands than the more assisting point guardsbeing absolutely opportunistic and precise to take advantage of the moments in which he can generate a comfortable shot for a teammate.
As seen in the list of the top 12 assistants, Smart is the one who has the ball in his possession for the least time. His thing is not dribble, dribble and dribble to consume the clock, but fast passes and necessary to keep the fluidity of Boston’s offense.
| Player | Equipment | assists | Time with the ball |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Harden | 76ers | 11,2 | 8.9 minutes |
| Tyrese Haliburton | Pacers | 10,2 | 7.5 minutes |
| Trae Young | Hawks | 9,9 | 8.1 minutes |
| Nikola Jokic | Nuggets | 9,4 | 4.5 minutes |
| Chris Paul | Suns | 8,8 | 7.1 minutes |
| Luka Doncic | Mavericks | 8,8 | 9.9 minutes |
| Darius Garland | Cavaliers | 7,8 | 7.9 minutes |
| I Morant | Grizzlies | 7,8 | 8 minutes |
| Russell Westbrook | Lakers | 7,7 | 5.5 minutes |
| Jrue Holiday | Bucks | 7,5 | 6.4 minutes |
| Mike Conley | Jazz | 7,5 | 6 minutes |
| Marcus Smart | Celtics | 7,4 | 4.2 minutes |
Smart’s precision to take advantage of each pass is remarkable. 15.1% of his passes end in assists, a mark that appears as the sixth highest in the entire NBA (minimum 20 games), just behind cracks of the caliber of Trae Young, Russell Westbrook, Devin Booker, Ja Morant and Luka Doncic.
That’s the company for what Smart does as a passer, in a facet that until a few seasons ago it seemed very far from its possibilities.
The Marcus-JB connection is on point tonight ???????? pic.twitter.com/YcvK4DwoEK
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 30, 2022
In 2018-2019, the 19% of Boston’s assists came from his hands while he was in the field. In 2019-2020, he went up to 21%. A year later to 24%. In 2021-2022 to 26%. And in the current campaign is at 30%. At 28 years old, who knows where Smart’s ceiling might be, no longer as a defensive specialist, but as a one of the best pure point guards in the league.
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA or its organizations.
