Defense is unquestionably one of the cornerstones of the Boston Celtics. The team's collective grit and fearlessness on the defensive end allows the C's to stand out as one of the top defensive teams in the NBA.
One of the best demonstrations of this defensive bravado can be seen in each player's willingness to sacrifice their bodies by drawing charges on the defensive end. Celtics superstar Kyrie Irving claims that he is the best in this particular category, but also admitted that he draws inspiration from teammate Marcus Smart.
Kyrie asked about taking charges this season and playfully declares, "I lead the team in charges, no question. No question.” Then says again how he watches Marcus Smart highlights for inspiration.
And just for the record … pic.twitter.com/mOUZOsgYRs
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) January 8, 2019
As pointed out by Celtics insider Chris Forsberg, both Irving and Smart are tied for total charges drawn in the season with nine apiece. Per NBA.com‘s advanced statistics, Detroit Pistons star Blake Griffin leads the league in this defensive category with a total of 17 charges drawn thus far.
This speaks volumes of Boston's mentality on the defensive end, especially with Irving and Smart, who are listed at just 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-4, respectively. Taking a charge is not the easiest thing to do, and it is certainly not for the faint of heart — especially if you do it against guys who are much taller and bigger than you.
This certainly isn't an issue for either of these guys, and it seems that this type of attitude rubs off on the rest of the team. Aaron Baynes has drawn seven charges himself this season, and the Celtics are the only team with three players in the top 20 of this particular category.
This is just one of the many defensive features of the Celtics, and as a result, the team ranks third in the entire league with a defensive rating of 104.1.
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