The Celtics Need to Give Marcus Smart’s Offer to Help a Chance

Marcus Smart found the best version of himself this week. He limited his shot allotment (6.5 attempts) following his return from COVID and a thigh injury in favor of greater efficiency. Saturday’s 107-97 Celtics win over the Pelicans saw him match his career high with 12 assists, while his +36, +36 and +28 minutes through Boston’s last three wins vaulted him to the top of the team’s net rating ladder (+6.4 per 100 possessions).

His performance during the team’s loss to the Hawks in-between might’ve been his best all season. Smart grabbed key rebounds banging in the post alongside Clint Capela, pushed the pace and made quick decisions in the half court. Unlike his effective 0-point outing in Boston’s blowout win over the Kings, he scored 17 points in Atlanta on low volume, efficient shooting that helped halt Hawks runs and steadily work the Celtics back. Smart keyed the third quarter turnaround from a 15-point Celtics deficit to within three at the start of the fourth. Then, the team got away from him late.

It’s been an ominous week for Smart, between sharing ‘I love you’s with teammates on the eve of his trade eligibility and telling reporters post-game on Saturday the glass remaining in his hand from his infamous 2018 swipe at a picture frame occasionally hurts the body part. He also spoke with The Athletic about his role, echoing sentiment he expressed following the collapse against the Bulls early this season. As conservatively as Smart’s played this year, he believes he can help solve Boston’s problems in the clutch. And he may be right.

“As a point guard, when everybody else is going scattered, you have to kind of be the one to calm everybody back down,” Smart said. “I’ve been challenged from Ime (Udoka), everybody else, that I’m not the person, the right person in this position to do it, even though every time I go out there, I do it and it shows.”

Smart later clarified in the article that Udoka didn’t explicitly say he’s not the solution. The interview came before his exact hunch played out in Atlanta though. After Smart masterfully ran the offense for three quarters, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum took over as playmakers late, and fumbled the ball away on four out of five possessions before Udoka called the game. Udoka took timeouts to involve Robert Williams III, but the Celtics never recomposed themselves by utilizing Smart’s ball-handling and passing.

While Smart speaks confidently in his abilities, he’s not free from blame this season after a horrid offensive start and failing to steady the ship internally and during key losses at the Lakers, Suns, on Christmas in Milwaukee; at home against the Spurs and rock bottom — the 25-point meltdown in New York. He also committed a mindless foul late in the loss to the Mavericks where Luka Doncic buried the game-winner a moment later. His past erratic play eventually defined him.

Smart’s maturity, shown through his amicable approach to his role, rock-sharing alongside Dennis Schröder, Brown and Tatum under a new coach, helped prevent more turbulence though. He’s rarely resorted to shot-chucking. His shot profile improved alongside his feel for giving each game what it needs.

That could mean Smart and Udoka found his sweet spot. Continued fourth quarter demises for the Celtics say otherwise.

It’s difficult to remember a time Boston truly empowered and trusted their point guard in those spots, and with multiple reports over the past year regarding fatigue toward Smart’s approach, attempts to move him and evident moments on the floor when he’s boxed out of the action — it’s fair to wonder if he’s been given a fair shot.

Ever steady and confident in his plan, Udoka remains fixated on making Brown and Tatum primary playmakers, especially in late-game situations. He’s generated some improvement, like Brown’s 50-point night against the Magic and 0-turnover virtuoso closing effort against the Pacers. More often, the Celtics have crashed and burned, spoiling their defensive, ball movement and pacing efforts that got them to crunch time.

“Staying consistent with what got us the lead,” Udoka highlighted as a key in late December. “I told (the team), ‘don’t get bored with what made us successful.’”

Udoka then credited Smart this week with breaking the Celtics out of their isolation tendencies, finding Brown and Tatum where they’re comfortable and structuring Boston’s offense. A New Orleans zone stalled the Celtics’ offense completely numerous times on Saturday. Smart’s ability to get to the right spots to crack it open repeatedly sent Boston on runs.

“You go put yourself in a spot where there’s nobody,” Smart explained post-game on breaking the zone. “They have rules in the zone, certain guys guard certain spots, so just trying to find that open spot … especially when you get in the middle, you force the zone to have to make decisions … because you’ve got so many decisions in the middle. You’ve got Rob down there in the dunker (spot), because most teams aren’t going to help off him, which means … there’s somebody in front of you, one of the corners are open, and you’ve got to find the right place to get the ball.”

Schröder, Brown and the second unit attacked head-on, allowed points in transition, and watched the lead dwindle. The short-handed Pelicans could never fully escape their double-digit deficit, eventually spilling both benches into the game late in the fourth quarter without reaching a clutch situation. Part of what’s often lost in the evaluation of Smart is his organization on both ends.

Even when he isn’t posting stats, the structure he provides prevents the Celtics from breaking down on offense, which directly leads to defensive lapses, and his efforts on defense, in turn, make life easier for Boston scoring the ball by increasing pace. Udoka discussed connectivity between he offensive and defensive ends being central to Boston’s outcomes.

Smart will never become a great shooter. His finishing abilities will likely always cap his ability to leverage the defense and become an every-possession point guard. He draws gravity in spite of his scoring limitations by getting to the right spot on the floor, and at times he’s an exceptional passer. Smart’s rugged, hustle-driven style makes it easy to forget he was once in play to be the No. 1 pick in the draft if he left Oklahoma State as a freshman. He still landed in Boston a year later as one of 2014’s elite prospects — a point guard.

Whether or not that potential panned out at the next level, that skillset remains, often miscast as an off-ball finisher and catch-and-shoot player next to Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker. The shared ball-handling responsibility continues, and should be looked as the person who can heighten Smart’s role in the late-game picture, it’s another shortcoming Brown and Tatum need to take credit for too. Brown and Tatum are great finishers. Smart passes the ball well. Too often, their roles are inverted.

Boston’s stars have been given the keys to not only drive and kick, while passing out of double teams. They’re being challenged to create and turn mismatches into advantages for the offense. When the offense isn’t shooting well, as it has all year, they need to learn to adapt and create secondary driving lanes and basket looks. There’s a feel component too. When Smart was thriving as a ball-handler in Atlanta, they should sense it and defer to him at some point in the fourth quarter.

Instead, they attacked head-on and dribbled into oblivion. For all the talk about Brown and Tatum’s need for a real point guard and help on offense, they stand to create and develop their own if they’re going to become two of the best players in the league. We’ve seen them do it, lifting the Celtics with their teammates into the top-10 in net rating, before sinking their record in fourth quarters.

Step one to becoming dominant themselves in key moments could be accepting the help that’s available right now. Their inability to do so would likely also render outside moves to fix the team moot if they can’t connect with those players when it matters most.

The same goes for Williams III, another talented passer lost in the shuffle Friday. Tatum affirmed Rob’s importance in what they want to do Saturday. He’s played well all season, with the only things limiting him being a severe lack of pick-and-roll opportunities and touches. Brown spoke about running offense through Williams III one month ago. It hasn’t actualized into a consistent game plan.

Brown and Tatum’s willingness to work with Smart matters and should dictate his future to some degree. The team needs to find other whether the trio work together, and probably already should have already. If they don’t, none of the hypotheticals below matter. The mix would need to be shaken up.

“I’ve been doing it ever since I got in the league,” Smart aking the extra pass, finding guys, making that extra pass to the corner, rewarding guys for running, rewarding guys for a steal that they get, making sure that they get the ball,” Smart said. “I’ve been doing this my whole career