I’m going with Smart over Horford, but I won’t judge anyone who reverses that order. I think Smart is a little more versatile in terms of positions he’s able to at least capably guard for short times, whereas Horford can get taken advantage of on some switches. But Horford’s still a top defensive big, and if you want to argue that our league leading defense starts with him, I won’t quibble.
What I find at least as interesting is that I can’t figure out who #3 is. Is it Baynes or Rozier, numbers 2 and 3 in Defensive Rating for the NBA? Is it Tatum, who leads the team in Defensive Win Shares? Is it Brown, who has the length, athleticism, strength, and will to keep up with just about anyone? Is it Ojeleye, who’s been very reliable against some of the top players in the game like Giannis and LeBron? Is it Theis, who leads the team in block percentage and defensive rebound percentage? That’s six players who could arguably be our third best defender, but would be the top defender for several teams.
I know that’s traditional view is that offense wins in the playoffs, but I can’t imagine many teams are looking forward to a series worth of games against this defense. It will wear them down.