While the annual NBA GM survey may not have had quite enough love for veteran Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart, he did manage to crack Sports Illustrated’s top 50 players in their annual assessment of the top 100 players in the NBA at No. 50 overall.
“The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is so much more than that,” writes Chris Herring, recalling the import of the Flower Mound native calling out his star teammates last season. “Smart has the stature and the work ethic to call it as he sees it. And his willingness to do so, combined with his skill, speaks to why the Celtics opted against including him in a potential deal for Kevin Durant.”
“Yes, Smart is that important to this team’s heartbeat and culture,” offers the SI analyst.
And while there was more to that potential KD deal than Smart — Jaylen Brown, for starters — to want to hang onto, Herring is by no means wrong about the importance of Smart to the Celtics and their title aspirations.
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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire
