Marcus Smart on what's to come - "Off-season is a myth"


It is a well-known platitude in the NBA that stars are made in the off-season. Now Marcus Smart, newly-appointed to First Team All-Defensive, has added another dimension - namely, there is no off-season. It is a myth. Gotta love it!



Quite obviously, this honor has been put aside way too long. I have followed this young man's progression from a nervous-energy youngster that could always defend, but had an issue with his shooting percentages, particularly on ill-advised long-distance shots with lots of time on the clock. His media interviews? Early on, they were awkward, nervous and sometimes anger-filled.

But I have carefully watched this young man's progression. He is coming into his own. "Offseason is a myth." I love it. Of course it is. There is no off-season for true basketball pros. It is the time to improve the weak points in your game. And as far as First Team, All-Defensive, per one of our readers:

AndrĂ© Moreira Lima •
About damn time! Took too long! I'm glad that he finally got some recognition.

Took too long! You bet! Celtics fans love this guy. And damn it, so do I. Despite some flaws, there is truly something special about Marcus Smart. First Team, All-Defensive? About time! And to finish, let me quote CelticsLife's JR on Marcus being snubbed in years past:

The first place votes for James Harden and Steph Curry (and the 2nd for Kyrie Irving for that matter) tell you all you need to know on why Smart may have been snubbed in years past. Not everyone with a vote has brain cells.

Beyond being a huge fan of Marcus - I love JR's quote. What I often tell people going through tough times is that a brain can get you through almost anything. It is great to see the voters for All-Defensive finally have their neurons firing efficiently. Had to happen eventually!

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Photo via Matt Stone/Boston herald