Marcus Smart is known for being one of the best defenders in the entire league, hence why he won the 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. While he may not have won this award again, the Boston Celtics guard earned a different honor this season.
On Wednesday, the NBA announced that Smart was the winner of the 2022-23 NBA Hustle Award, marking the second straight season he has won the award, and the third time in his career overall.
Smart is the first player in league history to win the award in back-to-back seasons and is the only three-time winner, as the award made its debut in 2016-17.
According to the league's description, the NBA Hustle Award rewards players that make the effort plays that don’t often appear in the traditional box score but impact winning on a nightly basis.
This award shines a spotlight on hustle stats, which includes deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots and box-outs.
Finishing behind Smart in the Top-5 for this award were Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Aaron Nesmith (Indiana Pacers), Mitchell Robinson (New York Knicks) and Herbert Jones (New Orleans Pelicans).
He may not be the best scoring option on the floor for the Celtics, but Marcus Smart makes his impact felt every single game because of what he is able to do defensively.
Finishing with the second-best defensive rating in the league a season ago, Boston once again made defense a priority for themselves this year, as they finished the regular season ranking third in defensive rating.
Defense wins championships and Smart is certainly a player that many NBA teams wish they had on their roster.
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