Forsberg: Catching up with Smart to talk Boston's early-season D

Marcus Smart is the Dean of Defense. He has the trophy to prove it. So watching the Boston Celtics slip from having the No. 1 defense for nearly all of last season to slotting 24th overall in defensive rating through four games early in the 2022-23 season does not sit particularly well with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

Smart isn’t ready to slam a panic button, however, and he has a plan to help stop the slippage.

Stream the Celtics all season on NBCSportsBoston.com or via the MyTeams App!

"It's only four games. I'm not gonna freak out right now," Smart told NBC Sports Boston. "We asked each other not to freak out. It’s one [loss]. We gotta fix it. We're not taking it for granted. We understand what we have to fix and it's just an effort going out there and doing it.

"It’s gonna start with me and try to get everybody to follow. And like [interim head coach] Joe [Mazzulla] said, we're gonna have off nights, but we can't have everybody off. So, on those nights, somebody has got to come and pick us up."

Celtics Talk Special Edition: Wyc Grousbeck and Steven Pagliuca reflect on the Big 3 era | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

Smart has pledged to be that person. While the NBA’s stat tracking suggested his individual defensive numbers were glossy to start the season -- with opponents seemingly more eager than ever to keep the ball moving when he was in front of them -- Smart realizes he needs to set the tone on the perimeter, particularly as Boston deals with depleted depth on the back line.

He’s ready to lock in. And lock down.

"There's times where I'm exhausted, there's times where I'm tired, there's times where I'm like, ’S---, I gotta go guard this guy.' And it's like, ‘Man, I'm not feeling right today,’" said Smart. "But I still have to go out there and just do it, regardless if I wanted to or how I feel because I understand the impact that has on my teammates and this team."

Smart is also adamant that the team can’t blame the absence of Robert Williams III for the team’s early season struggles. In the second half of last year, the Celtics were four points better than any other team in the NBA in defensive rating. That was with Williams III suffering a torn meniscus and missing the final two weeks of the regular season.

“It's just, right now, because we don't have Rob, I think we kind of got in the stance of trying to to play passive in certain areas," said Smart. "[Last season the Celtics gave] more cushion because Rob is back there to protect us. But we have to understand that all five guys on the court, that are not Rob, can all play defense. And it all comes down to that. 

"That was the one thing that helped us get there last year, before Rob became who he was. We had to be able to learn how to play without him. And that's what made us so great. So when he did come back and we integrated him back into the system, it only skyrocketed our defensive presence."

Smart knows a thing or two about securing some NBA award hardware so we had some other questions for him: 

NBC Sports Boston: Is Jayson Tatum an MVP candidate?

Smart: "Definitely, definitely. I think Jaylen Brown is, too. I think we don't talk about that enough. Just as much as we talk about Jayson, you gotta talk about JB. Because he holds the fort down just as much. Especially nights where Jayson isn't going, you can always depend on Jaylen to give you something. So I think, for us, and for this league, we need to really recognize what Jaylen has been doing and what he's continued to do and the progression that he's making and the player that he's become."

Forsberg's Mailbag: Does Jayson Tatum have a realistic shot at MVP?

NBC Sports Boston: Did you see Jaylen wore the same RHUDE sweater in Chicago that you wore on opening night?

Smart: "I seen it. I seen it. I didn't say nothing to him. But I think he knows that I wore it first, so I'm gonna let him slide with it."

NBC Sports Boston: Off days feel rare in the NBA. You guys got one on Tuesday after a stretch of three games in four nights, what did you do?

Smart: "You just come in and do what you need to do. You know what I'm saying? That's different for everybody. I came in, I got my shots up, I got my treatment, and then I got in my cold tub, my hot tub, did my therapy and everything I needed to make sure my body was right. People don't kind of see what we go through behind the scenes and what we have to go through. We flew in late that night [from Chicago], to come back in in the morning and do all that."

NBC Sports Boston: Do you ever just want to stay in bed?

Smart: "Yeah, there’s times. There’s times when you have to stay in bed. There’s times you need to because that's the best thing to do for you, for your body, and for you, mentally, for you to be the best you can be. Sometimes, it might not be a day, it might be a few hours, it might be sleeping a little bit later than you used to, but doing that to get your body some extra rest is much needed.”

NBC Sports Boston: Nine years in Boston, you’re the veteran now. Has that sunk in lately with all the changes through the years?

Smart: "It feels good to still be here. I've seen a lot of people come and go. It's hard to make it to this league but it's even harder to stay here. So the fact that I've been here, not only here but with the same team for nine years, speaks volume of my character, my game, and who I am as a person and as a player. So I look at it as a compliment and as more blessings. Hopefully I can keep this going for as long as I can.”