We've come a long way from questioning whether Marcus Smart was the right choice for the Boston Celtics at point guard.
Smart is in his second full season as the Celtics' starting point guard after playing mostly as an off-ball shooting guard for six seasons. The move has benefited both the Celtics and Smart, who has emerged as an elite facilitator on offense while continuing to play elite defense.
After Smart stuffed the stat sheet again Thursday night -- 17 points, nine assists, two steals and a block in a 116-110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers -- former Celtic and NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins dropped a strong take.
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"Marcus Smart is at his best when he's a star in his role and not trying to do too much," Perkins said on NBC Sports Boston's "Celtics Postgame Live." "I said this about a month ago: He's becoming one of the best pure point guards in the league."
Perkins' statement would have seemed ridiculous two years ago, but Smart is making a serious case for himself. He ranks 10th in the NBA in assists per game (7.4) despite ranking 134th in usage rate, meaning he's one of the league's most efficient passers. He's also choosing his shots more wisely in his pass-first role and is on pace for the highest field goal percentage of his career (43.3 percent).
Add in Smart's excellence on the defensive end -- the reigning Defensive Player of the Year has nine steals in his last four games -- and you're looking at one of the NBA's most complete point guards.
"Just his patience, his playmaking ability, his physicality tonight on the defensive side of things, anchoring the defense, taking charges, blocking shots at the basket, getting in passing lines, deflections. Just all over the place," Perkins added of Smart.
"You saw him talking. You saw him communicating. That's who he is. When he gets outside his body and tries to start doing other things that he's really not capable of doing, that's when you don't get the Marcus Smart that this team needs. But the Marcus Smart tonight? If he can continue to be a star in his role like he was tonight on both ends of the floor, then the sky is the limit for the Boston Celtics."
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Perkins' point is a good one. Smart occasionally gets into trouble when he tries to do too much or forces shots offensively, but he's done a much better job playing his game of late. The Celtics are loaded with offensive talent, so Smart can focus on setting up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown instead of trying to create his own offense.
Thursday night was the latest display of what Smart the "true point guard" can do, and if last season's run to the NBA Finals are any indication, the Celtics are capable of reaching the highest level with Smart as their floor general.