Boston Celtics veteran guard Marcus Smart has been named to the NBA’s 2019-20 All-Defensive First Team according to a press release circulated by the NBA on Tuesday.
The Flower Mound native garnered 152 total points and 57 First Team votes.
Smart was joined on the first team by Defensive Player of the Year Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (195 points; 97 First Team votes).
The rest of the First Team includes Los Angeles Laker Anthony Davis (187 points; 87 First Team votes), the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons (185 points; 88 First Team votes), and the Utah Jazz’ Rudy Gobert (180 points; 85 First Team votes).
TWO STRAIGHT YEARS
Congratulations to our defensive bulldog @smart_MS3 ☘️ pic.twitter.com/iAwrYSPhrp
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 8, 2020
The Second Team is comprised of Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers – 128 points), Brook Lopez (Bucks – 67), Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat – 61), Patrick Beverley (Clippers – 60) and Eric Bledsoe (Bucks – 59).
There had been some hope that the Celtic defensive menace would make a serious run at the DPoY award, but as has tended to be the case for many years now, the award went yet again to a big man.
Among other players receiving votes on the Celtics were Jaylen Brown, who received two Second Team votes as a guard, and Jayson Tatum, who garnered 20 Second Team votes as a forward.
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