“Takes a little talent and a whole lotta heart and hustle”: Celtics’ Marcus Smart gives a young fan an invaluable lesson on defense

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart gives a young fan valuable advice on how to get better at defense and improve as a player

The Boston Celtics had a disappointing 2020-21 season, finishing the regular season at the 7th spot and scraping through to make it to the playoffs. The team was eliminated in the first round by the Brooklyn Nets in 5-games. However, the Celtics organization has made several changes to its roster as well as the front office.

Earlier this year, the Celtics traded Kemba Walker for Al Horford. The Boston team also sent a No. 16 overall draft pick and a 2025 second-rounder to the Thunder for Moses Brown. The Celtics hired a new head coach Ime Udoka, making him the 18th head coach of the iconic franchise.

On the defensive point, the Celtics ranked 13th in the league during the 2020-21 season. The team ranked 6th in blocks and ranked 5th in preventing the opposition from scoring points in the paint.

Also read: “Anthony Davis really had me feeling helpless”: Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart describes the horrific experience of guarding the Lakers big man in their first meeting

Recently, a young fan asked Celtics guard Marcus Smart how to improve his defense. Smart responded by advising the basketball aspirant to develop the right mindset and play tough.

Marcus Smart guides a young fan about enhancing his defensive abilities.

Smart is a 2x NBA All-Defensive First Team and former winner of the NBA Hustle award. The Celtics guard has a defensive rating of 106.8 in his career so far. Smart has also led the Celtics in deflections.

In his seven seasons of pro basketball, Smart has averaged 1.6 SPG. The 27-year old is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Recently, Smart had an interesting conversation with a Twitter user regarding defensive capabilities.

A Twitter user asked Smart for his advice on how to be a better defender. Smart responded, telling the user,

Takes little “talent” to play defense. Takes a wholelotta “want to”. Get every 50/50 ball. If you’re not quik defensively—get strong. Strength hides weaknesses. Take charges. Be a gr8 teammate. Compete. Never be ok w losing. No one remembers the 2nd US President. Only the 1st. https://t.co/98Lo5dkP9K

— marcus smart (@smart_MS3) September 17, 2021

Also read: “They call Giannis Antetokounmpo the Greek Freak for a reason!”: Marcus Smart throws up hands in despair describing Bucks Finals MVP’s skillset and mentality

As the Celtics revamp the roster for the upcoming 2021-22 season, it will be interesting to see how the team does on defense. The Celtics would have a healthy Marcus Smart, who missed plenty of games in the last season due to a Grade I tear of his left medial gastrocnemius.