Celtics guard Marcus Smart is one of the lead candidates to win Defensive Player of the Year for the 2021-22 NBA season.
As the Celtics, their fans, and several media members make their case for why Smart should win the award, he has one big question to hurdle: Should a guard actually win Defensive Player of the Year?
It’s been 26 years since a guard last won the award. Since then, the award has mostly gone to centers or power forwards (players from those positions have won it all but three times since 1996), as voters have shown they value rim protection more than perimeter play.