Those statistics don’t sit well for a player such as Smart, who feels the league, instead of honoring the best defensive player, rewards the best kind of defensive player. “I’m not taking anything from the bigs,” Smart told ESPN. “A vital part of the game is protecting the paint. But, as guards, we do a lot more before [our man] gets to the paint. … Contesting the 3, contesting pullups, making sure he doesn’t get to his spots.”