There’s no growing rift between Smart and Udoka. Smart said the rookie coach has done a great job. Smart said he believes Udoka has faith in him. Smart trusts the coach will act in the best interest of both Smart and the team. “So you tip your hat off to him for everything that he’s doing in his first year with all the BS around with this team not winning and stuff like that,” Smart said. “Being in Boston and coaching for Boston, it’s not easy, especially for your first year. So we just have to continue to help him. I’ve gotta continue to help him. I’ve been here the longest. I know the guys more than he does. And I’ve gotta be that quarterback out there for him.”
“My whole life I’ve been doubted. And I’m here. And I’m still around. And that’s just kind of how it’s been for me. I always bet on myself. And I love this team, this organization. I know we’re not perfect. And that’s part of this whole NBA thing. Everybody’s out there trying to do what’s best for their organization and their team. And it might not be perfect at the time, but you do what you can with what you’ve got and you can control.”
Just know this: Regardless of what anyone else thinks, Smart believes he’s fully capable of running the show in Boston. He wants to make it work no matter what it means for him individually. He thinks he can make life easier for Tatum and Brown and finds it comical that such skepticism exists about whether he can handle the task. “First coming out of college, I was a point guard,” Smart said late Friday morning before falling to the Hawks, 108-92. “It’s what I played. So it’s kind of funny to hear people say I’m not a point guard. In high school, point guard, led my team to two state championships. It’s funny hearing people say I’m not a point guard.” – via Jay King @ The Athletic