Smart has taken a leap this year.

[liam]

Smart really seems to have taken a leap this year. This team as a whole seems markedly better this year. Smart has really upped his game.

[SHAQATTACK]

I ve also taken a leap 

[Goldstar88]

Marcus Smart has a record of 59-25 with the Celtics when recording 8+ assists in his career.-Per StatMuse.

[mobilija]

He had the best year of his career last year. I was a bit worried he wouldn't be able to repeat it, but he continues to trend very positively.

Remember when ppl debated that he was a shooting guard and not a point guard? Clearly a more effective passer than a shooter, his passing actually opens up his driving and shooting. Anyone still think Smart is a SG?

[tenn_smoothie]

He has cut down on the dumb decisions - ill-advised 3's, dribbling into defensive traffic, throwing bad passes.
He is still capable of the latter two, but his shot selection seems to be consistently better. Most 3's are in rhythm.

[trickybilly]

Crazy that he is locked up on a bargain contract for 3 MORE SEASONS AFTER THIS ONE.

I always remain hopeful that he will pull a Jason Kidd and become a late career 3pt shooter. It was Kidd's 14th season before he became elite.

[ozgod]

Yes he’s playing smarter. What I’d like for him to continue to do is exercise better judgment, make better reads, and not try for so many high risk home run plays. Hit singles instead of always trying for the high risk grandstand play passes that only work 30% of the time.

[Big333223]

I've caught myself wondering what Smart's career might have looked like if the Kyrie trade never happens and Smart had to step into the starting PG roll back in 2017-18. How much better of a passer would he be now and would he have been for years if that's what he had been asked to do?

[kraidstar]

He has really evolved into a nice passer and an opportunistic scorer. Remember back when we questioned if he'd ever be a true PG?

He's there. Add to that the stellar defense and leadership and you have a fine player indeed.

Edit: mobilija beat me to the puch up above, TP lol

[kraidstar]

Crazy that he is locked up on a bargain contract for 3 MORE SEASONS AFTER THIS ONE.

I always remain hopeful that he will pull a Jason Kidd and become a late career 3pt shooter. It was Kidd's 14th season before he became elite.

Yeah, it's looking like a bargain deal. Kudos to him for that too. He probably could have squeezed out some extra cash but i think he really does love it here. And you need guys like him to win a title.  Great fit.

[terra haute]

Crazy that he is locked up on a bargain contract for 3 MORE SEASONS AFTER THIS ONE.

I always remain hopeful that he will pull a Jason Kidd and become a late career 3pt shooter. It was Kidd's 14th season before he became elite.

Yeah, it's looking like a bargain deal. Kudos to him for that too. He probably could have squeezed out some extra cash but i think he really does love it here. And you need guys like him to win a title.  Great fit.

Nice to have some guys that are still making a lot of money but want to play on and maintain a good team to win vs getting a little more that they shouldnt need anyway.

[Neurotic Guy]

As much as I like Brogdon (not to mention Rob and Derrick), Smart is the 3rd member of the 2022-23 Big 3.

[Sophomore]

Smart is top ten in assists (7.4/game), and among players averaging 30 mins+ per game - rough proxy for starters - he’s  excellent in assist/turnover ratio (6th). Middle of the pack for assist %age (19th).

Net, he takes care of the ball, sets up a good number of buckets, but they don’t rely on him as much as some other teams rely on their guards because the Cs have really good iso players and secondary ballhandlers. He picks his spots.

[Moranis]

As much as I like Brogdon (not to mention Rob and Derrick), Smart is the 3rd member of the 2022-23 Big 3.

Boston is not a big 3, it is disrespectful to both Tatum and Brown to include Smart as anywhere near them. 

[GreenEnvy]

Some of the passes he has made this year are eye-poppingly good. He’s definitely as comfortable in his role as PG as he’s ever been. He’s not jacking up as many poor shots as he used to. He makes a ton of hockey assists that don’t show up in the box score but he initiated the open look.

He fits the bill of a champion starting PG. I won’t go as far as to say he’s an elite passer, but he’s a 3-and-D PG who reads the floor extremely well. With two ISO-heavy players in Brown and Tatum, he’s exactly what we need.