Marcus Smart seems ready to take over starting point guard duties from Kyrie Irving

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It's a near certainty at this point that Kyrie Irving is leaving the Celtics to sign elsewhere, and even though it's not official yet, Marcus Smart seems ready to take over the starting point guard duties. 

In a season marred with inconsistencies from the Celtics on the court, Smart was a steadying presence on both sides of the floor. He was named to the NBA's First All-Defensive Team and shot a career-high 36.4 percent from three to go along with his all-around contributions on offense. Smart started 60 games for the Celtics as an off-guard this past season after he was used primarily as a sixth man in the previous two seasons.

With Irving's likely departure and Terry Rozier's upcoming restricted free agency, it may seem like the Celtics have an obvious hole to fill at starting point guard. Not so fast. Smart has shown he is more than capable of being the lead ball handler for Brad Stevens and the Celtics could certainly use as much of his infectious energy as possible at this point. 

What could be the most important part of Smart's tweet is that on a night where the Celtics were suddenly at a real risk of losing Irving and Al Horford at the start of free agency, Smart gave Celtics fans something to smile about. 

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