“Mental health is a big issue in a lot of sports. That what was going on.”
Those are the words of Boston Celtics leader Marcus Smart, the team’s longest-tenured player despite being 25-years-old and in his sixth NBA season, who took the time to discuss what went wrong behind-the-scenes with a team pegged as favorites to reach the NBA Finals last summer in a continued effort to create understanding for those who were on the outside looking in.
A group that includes everyone that wasn’t officially a member of the Celtics organization.
Much has been said and written about the team’s lack of chemistry and leadership, their clashing egos and what may have even been an overabundance of talent. However, while those on the outside put the bulk of blame on Kyrie Irving’s character flaws because he was the team’s leader, players and front office executives have presented a more complex set of issues as the reason for Boston’s underwhelming 2018-19 season.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens blamed himself.
Just days ago, Celtics president Danny Ainge said that Boston’s issues ran much deeper than Irving’s role within the team’s collapse when discussing the possibility of giving Irving a tribute video upon his return. A message that he also delivered in June.
In October, Smart came to Irving’s defense in light of the latter revealing that he was grieving throughout the season after his grandfather passed.
Smart, who lost his mother to cancer in 2018, could relate to Irving in ways that few could. Though he had insulated his friend from criticism on previous occasions, on Monday, Smart would take a deep dive into the heart of Boston’s issues last season and seemed to excuse — more or less — Irving’s behavior again.
While making an appearance on The Lowe Podcast with ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Smart notes that this season has been “fun” for the Celtics whereas last season was not.
“I think it was just hard for everyone last year,” Smart says. “Including myself.”
“I was dealing with my mom’s passing,” admits Smart. “Everybody has their own little individual thing that they were dealing with.”
Revealing why those issues only served to strain relationships rather than strengthen bonds, Smart says that teammates “were afraid to talk” to one another.
“You didn’t know how to talk to anybody,” Smart explains. “Growing up as young men you were taught you don’t want to show your emotions. You don’t want to cry. There’s this stigma that crying is not manly [and] talking about your feelings is not manly when that’s not true.”
Smart says everybody was afraid to talk to one another last season because: 1. They didn't know how. 2. They didn't know if others would understand/be willing to understand. pic.twitter.com/cVWkGzd8yp
— Boston.com Celtics News (@BDCCeltics) November 25, 2019
The term toxic masculinity is used to ascribe the stigma surrounding behaviors that are considered effeminate regardless of their benefit to mental or physical health. Even behaviors that may not benefit a person’s health at all but are just interests that they hold.
That term comes into full focus when passing through Smart’s podcast appearance and when thinking about the individual issues that may have existed in the locker room last season, it’s easy to see the role they played in creating a barrier between teammates. Even in a day and age where mental health is being destigmatized.
Irving and Smart dealing with the losses of loved ones. Gordon Hayward going through the ups and downs, both mentally and physically, of trying to return to his prime form.
Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown playing for new contracts but concerned they wouldn’t receive enough opportunity to showcase their abilities. Ironically, the returns of Irving and Hayward would directly effect their minutes and thus their earning potential.
Each of the aforementioned situations have varying levels of distress associated with them but each situation was undoubtedly stressful and none of the players felt like they could open up to each other about it.
As Smart notes, “that hurts you in the long run.”
This season, Rozier (though now playing in Charlotte) and Brown have new contracts. Hayward has played exceptionally. Smart is likely still distraught by his mother’s passing but he now has had more time to heal from his loss. It’s difficult to determine if Irving is in a better place emotionally but physically, he now plays in Brooklyn.
Kemba Walker, Grant Williams, Enes Kanter and Tacko Fall have brought a jovial aura to the team. It doesn’t hurt that this season, Boston gets to play the role of the underdog rather than the hunted, as last season’s slow start was the first blow dealt to the team’s potential chemistry.
The Celtics have also learned from last year so, when situations arise like the untimely passing of rookie point guard Tremont Waters’ father, they know how to support one another. How to talk to one another.
Ultimately, this team isn’t just different from last season on paper. They’ve grown as people and men, which is often an effect of going through adversity.
Whether or not the Celtics make a deep run into the playoffs, lose in the first round or miss the postseason altogether, they’re much better equipped to make it through their struggles as a unified front rather than splintering apart as they did last season.