Currently in his 6th year, both with the Celtics and in the NBA, he is playing the best basketball of his career. Functionally, Smart is operating primarily as the secondary shooting guard with the assignment of guarding whoever is the best player on the opposing team when on the floor. Abstractly, Marcus Smart is the heartbeat of the Celtics ecosystem. He is a leader of this team, both vocally and emotionally, setting the tone by example.
This season has seen Smart build on the improved shooting from last year, forcing defenses to respect his outside shot, punishing them if they don’t.