Patrick Beverley did not take kindly to the suggestion that Marcus Smart’s defensive intensity matched his own after the Los Angeles Clippers’ 107-104 win Wednesday night, and for good reason.
It’s not even close to being on the same level.
Now, before we get the torches and pitchforks out in the Flower Mound native’s defense, don’t presume that it’s Beverley who’s in the superior position here. While the Arkansas product is indeed one of the league’s most tenacious defenders, what Smart is doing this season is unlike anything we’ve ever seen from him before, and if we’re being honest, most players.
https://twitter.com/AdamHimmelsbach/status/1197939727753609217?s=19
The 6-foot-3 guard has been playing well beyond his stature on that side of the court, regularly guarding much bigger players all the way up to near 7-footers with considerable — at times, even remarkable — success, as noted by The Sporting News’ Carlan Gay.
For example, 6-foot-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo, arguably the hardest player in the league to guard, was limited to just five points while guarded by Smart. Despite being 6-foot-4, Smart forced three turnovers in their sole meeting this season. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic didn’t fare any better, logging just four points on 1-of-5 shooting when covered by the Oklahoma State product.
Marcus Smart's primary defensive assignment last night: Kawhi Leonard who got only five points on 2-of-8 shooting when being defended by Smart.
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) November 21, 2019
More recently, he held one of the league’s top offensive threats in Kawhi Leonard to just three points and 1-of-7 shooting in Boston’s most recent loss.
Kevin Love, who has given Smart trouble in key moments in the past, has even taken note of the improved efforts against big men the undersized guard has been having.
“Oh, [Smart is] tough. … What they lack in size, they make up in effort,” Love noted (courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Darren Hartwell). “[T]hey’ll put him on the top player on every team. He’ll guard LeBron [James], … Giannis [Antetokounmpo], … James Harden, … Steph Curry … He can guard anybody 1 through 5, and he’s a difference-maker for the team.”
The six-year veteran has been putting in work behind the scenes, too.
“I scouted plays for Kevin Love for a long time now, so I picked up on tendencies and I’m such a great defender that I believe in myself and I’m always going to go with myself a hundred percent of the time,” Smart said of his efforts to cover big men like Love (via MassLive’s John Karalis).
“It’s about pride at that point and you got to dig down. So I always call the double team off every chance I get and try to take care of it myself.”
His former teammates and peers are taking note, with some former Celtics even openly calling for him to get the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award just a month or so into the season, despite the fact the sole non-big man winner in recent years in none other than Kawhi.
Great minds think a like ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) November 21, 2019
Smart is holding his opponents to 28.8% from deep and just 33.1% overall when he guards them while helping his team to own the sixth-best defense in the league. The Celtics have a 99.2 defensive rating with him on the court, and just 103.7 without.
It is undoubtedly far too early in the season to crown the former Cowboy the presumptive DPOY so soon into the 2019-20 NBA season. But with more and more performances like those he’s been turning in against such formidable opponents (and most of them in wins, which never hurts), it’s looking like the award is his to lose.
Smart’s tendency to take himself out of the game as much or more than any opponent with the collateral damage such consistent herculean efforts does to his body remains an ongoing threat to the former sixth overall pick’s health and availability.
But Smart has shown growing maturity in more ways than the defensive intensity that evidently opponent Patrick Beverley was unhappy to hear of on the evening of Nov. 20 and may take his foot off the gas to preserve his bodily integrity when push comes to shove, unlike in past seasons.
Not that that will improve the mood of Mr. 94 Feet, as Beverley is sometimes known.
Can you blame him?