Marcus Smart Wins Defensive Player of the Year

Phoenix Suns forward, Mikal Bridges, finished second with 22 first place votes, followed by Rudy Gobert with 12.

Lead by Smart’s defensive prowess and pure passion for the game, the Boston Celtics finished their season second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 51-31. The rugged guard put together quite the campaign for DPOY in the 2021-22 season.

Defensive Stats

The former Oklahoma State player finished the regular season with 206 deflections on the defensive end. He also had 75 loose balls recovered, 16 charges, 10.3 in defensive wins shared, and 119 steals. His defensive rating was 105.2, which ranked ninth in the NBA and fifth among guards.

Smart ranked tenth in total deflections, fourth in loose balls recovered, fifth in defensive wins shared, and sixth in steals.

When guarded by the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, opponents shot only 45% from the field and 33% from long range, ranking seventh best in the league defensively among players with at least 60 games played.

Team Defense

The Celtics finished first in points allowed (104.5 PPG), opponent field goal percentage at (43.4%), defensive rating (106.2), and opponent 3-point percentage (33.9%).

Drought Ended

Smart ends the 26-year drought of a guard not winning the DPOY award by putting exceptional effort into his defensive play, guarding the best perimeter players night in and night out, and consistently finding ways to reduce their effectiveness.

Smart joins Kevin Garnett as the only Celtics players to win the award since its creation in 1982. When Garnett won the award in 2008, Boston hung up banner number 17. Can Marcus Smart make history repeat itself?

Stay up-to-date on all things Boston Celtics at OvertimeHeroics.net!

Main Image Credit: