Marcus Smart lists the six toughest players he’s ever guarded

Marcus Smart’s defense has him in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation but who are the players who make that job the toughest for him?

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been making waves with his defense this season, and for those who know his game, that’s saying a lot.

Known as one of the league’s grittiest, most intense defenders, he consistently impacts the game with out-of-this-world hustle plays and the seeming ability to appear as if out of nowhere, disrupting inbounds passes or layup attempts.

This season, the Texan has elevated his defense to an absurdly flexible level, taking on defensive assignments that stand a head or more above him with what would seem a fatalistic relish if not for the eye-popping results he’s been getting from doing so.

An early Defensive Player of the Year (DPoY) candidate — an award almost exclusively given to big men — because of his position-defying defensive proclivities, Smart is very aware of just how impressive his performance has been this season, and isn’t afraid to brag a bit.

In fact, he penned an essay on the popular player-driven website, The Player’s Tribune, in which he broke down the toughest defensive assignments he’s had in the NBA.

Beginning with some context, the Flower Mound native credits his much older brothers with sparking his lifelong tendency to fear no opponent (or hard surface) since:

“A lot of the way I play today can be attributed to those games with my brothers. I had to be clever. I had to compensate for my lack of … pretty much everything … by playing smart and doing all the little things most guys don’t like to do.

Diving on the concrete for a loose ball. Bodying up on somebody way bigger than me. Getting beat up, run over, knocked down … and then getting back up.”

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

With his familiar self-confidence, Smart continues by effectively daring the entire NBA to test him while diving into five specific players who have given him trouble over the years.

None of whom should surprise:

Los Angeles Clippers wings Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry and Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis.

Those four ought to be on anyone’s “hard to guard” list but one of the five might raise a few eyebrows.

At least among Celtics fans who have somehow missed the ties between the two players from their two seasons sharing a roster.

Kyrie Irving.

Irving and Smart share a friendship larger than the issues that plagued Boston last season. In part due to the bond they share in losing family in their brief stretch as teammates.

Whatever fans feel about the Duke product’s exit, it’s clear Smart holds his former teammate in high regard both on-court and off.

“There are a lot of things that make Kyrie’s game unstoppable, explained the former Cowboy. “But his ability to ad-lib and come up with things on the fly is special. That’s why I like to call Kyrie’s moves “last-minute moves.”

“It’s like, when the shot clock is winding down and he’s gotta do something. As a defender, you’re running through Kyrie’s arsenal in your mind, narrowing down what you’ve seen him do and what he might pull out at that moment, based on where he’s at on the court.

He’s short on time, so his options are limited. Then literally at the last second, he hits you with something you weren’t expecting. And you’re like, Dang … how did he even think of that?”

While many are still raw from a decision that was quite far from last second, Boston’s longest-tenured guard clearly harbors a great deal of respect for his All-NBA friend (and now, opponent).

Respect is a common theme among all the players listed by Smart, who describes Leonard as “the most unstoppable player in the league right now” despite ongoing health issues limiting his game and availability.

Leonard’s new teammate George is, according to Smart, someone who “will stay hot all night if you let him” and a potential terror once he and Leonard “really get going together”.

Curry, of course, is a threat from almost anywhere on the court, which the Celtics’ unofficial captain emphasises is what makes him such a tough cover.

“[Steph]’s liable to shoot from half-court and hit it. And he doesn’t need a lot of space to get his shot off. He’s got a quick trigger. Even when you’re right up on him, that little inch of space you leave because you think you’re close enough? You’re not.”

As he does with all his listed examples, Smart highlights the rudiments of his defensive strategy against them, noting with Curry, he tries to use his relatively larger size as a weapon.

“He’s running around, coming off screens, trying to get open looks. So it’s my job to be physical with him — knock him off his cuts and get over every screen.”

The Brow, being seven inches taller and 25 pounds heavier, isn’t so responsive to such an approach. Instead, Smart uses Davis’ size against him.

This approach has been very fruitful for Smart to date, and has been a not-small factor driving his DPOY candidacy.

“Big guys are taught to not bring the ball down low against guards because, unlike bigs, guards can sneak in there and take it. … I try to force guys to their weakness. And even though A.D. has a good handle, especially for a 7-footer, that’s not his strength. So I’m staying up on him, pressuring him, trying to make him be a ballhandler.”

The defensive specialist even goes out of his way to add a sixth player to his five-man list of hard-to-guard opponents, fitting for a guy who joking refers to himself as a “stretch six”.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, the reigning MVP, is in a class by himself:

“But Giannis different … with his wingspan, the way he can manipulate the ball and get you chasing it one way before coming back with it — because he’s also quick like a guard, so he can cross you if he catches you leaning … man, it’s special.”

To be fair, many of these figures would say the same of Smart’s coverage, which has opened some already-wide eyes even further in this still-young season.

While there’s plenty of time for others to close the gap in the Defensive Player of the Year race opened by the guard swallowing up players much larger than his 6-foot-3 stature, the award is Smart’s to lose for now.

Check the full article linked here for an in-depth dive into just how he manages some of those assignments with gusto; it’s absolutely worth the read.