Marcus Smart's evolution as a leader for the Boston Celtics

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/marcus-smarts-evolution-leader-boston-celtics?cid=Yahoo&partner=ya4nbcs



Marcus Smart's evolution as a leader for the Boston Celtics




By A. Sherrod Blakely

October 26, 2019 10:53 PM




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NEW YORK -- As the longest-tenured Boston Celtic, Marcus Smart knows that comes with a level of responsibility that’s only amplified when you consider all that went wrong from a leadership standpoint last season for this team.

Smart often lets his actions speak for him as a leader, but that’s just not going to cut it anymore.

He has to become more vocal on the floor with his teammates, which he has done more of this season. Smart has to also demonstrate the value of team bonding which is at the heart of his decision to have the entire team go out to the movies on Sunday night.

The get-together itself is unique, but making it stand out even more so is that they are doing it on the day after a back-to-back which is often a time for rest, recovery and relaxation away from one another.

This is all part of Smart’s plan to better facilitate team chemistry which he readily admits was spotty at times last season.

“Last year for us it was really big, chemistry,” he said. “Some days we had it and some days we didn’t. So this year I wanted to make sure the chemistry was there, the bonds were there and everybody was comfortable off the court. I think the best way is getting around each other as much as possible.”

Kemba Walker, one of the new faces still embracing the Celtic way of doing things, is all for anything that helps foster closer bonds among the players.

“We want to be as close as possible,” Walker said. “I’ve always been a big believer if you really get along and like each other, it translates on the court. It makes you want to play for your brother.”

Establishing that connectivity at this point in the Celtics’ franchise is vitally important when you consider the number of young players that they are counting on to perform now and in the coming years.

Carsen Edwards, a second-round pick out of Purdue, has been around the game long enough to know how special moments spent together as a team can be to help facilitate stronger bonds which will be tested at various points during the season.

When he first learned that Smart was planning to have a team event, he thought it said as much about Smart as it did the Celtics’ culture.

“You can tell he’s all about the team,” Edwards told NBC Sports Boston. “He wants the best for us.”

Boston’s Jaylen Brown echoed those sentiments.

“It’s good; it helps,” Brown said. “Anything we can do together is obviously going to help on the court. As we get to know each other better, it’s gonna be great.”

And with Smart taking the initiative to put this together, it also says a lot about how he has evolved as a leader for this team.

“I’ve always been like that, but usually I kind of do it and don’t tell anybody,” Smart said. “As a leader, that’s one of those things I need to be able to do is lead guys together. Especially in times like this when we’re doing good.”

It’s easy for these times to lead to guys feeling as though their contributions are greater than those of their teammates, and thus splintering begins in the middle of a successful run.

Smart’s not having that this year.

“We just came out (and won) our second game in a row and feel good about ourselves,” he said. “Just make sure we can keep ourselves humble and we still have a lot of things to do.”

And leading that charge will be Smart, showing us all his evolution as a leader for this Celtics team.



bob
MY NOTE:  I don't see how Trader Danny is going to be doing much this year at the deadline.  Jaylen can't be traded because he just signed the extension.  Kemba is off the table, as is Jayson Tatum unless a superstar is coming back.  Gordon could be moved, but for whom with his contract?  Probably unlikely, especially since he's playing like we had hoped/expected him to play when he first came here just over 2 years ago.  Smart's contract would be a great package filler, but if Danny trades Marcus Smart I think there will be Celtic fans outside of his house with pitchforks and torches.  So, who does that leave? Nobody else's contract is big enough to land someone that will move the needle, and draft picks have no salary impact on trades.  They're sweeteners, not fillers.  A trade exception is a possibility but they tend to be smaller rather than larger (although there have been some large ones) and the players that might be dangled are so small we'd either have to trade half the bench, plus the trade exception, to fill out the deal and get that needle-mover.  I think this team is pretty much the one we're going to war with, for better or for worse, and I'm ok with that.


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+1

db

Marcus Smart has been leading the Cs almost since he arrived, in my opinion. At this time, he is the longest tenured player on the team, the new superstar (Walker) is content to follow along at least until he feels more comfortable, and the coach is plenty smart (no pun intended) to know that his team needs a much better leader than Irving was.

Lots of folks complained about Smart's shooting percentage earlier in his career and he did not shoot very well. But, everything else he has done has been 100% all for the team since his arrival. He most certainly never takes any plays off, never gives the coaches any back talk, handles the media well, has improved his ball handling and even his shooting.

There can be no question that all the other players on this team have watched Smart for long enough to fully understand his value as their leader.

One thing I noticed this season was Marcus pushing rookies away from the refs, basically saying let me talk to them. And he is doing so in a more calm, mature manner...and the refs seem to be hearing him out. Maturity and passion. He should be the next captain of this team.

What a smart draft pick at #6. If there is one position Danny knows it is the guard spot.

mrkleen09 wrote: He should be the next captain of this team.

+1