As close as the race might be for this season's Most Valuable Player award, it appears that the competition for the Defensive Player of the Year has become even more intense. Right now, Boston Celtics star Marcus Smart is considered by many as one of the top contenders for this prestigious award. For NBA legend and Hall of Famer Gary Payton, however, there is no doubt in his mind.
Payton, who happens to be the last guard who won the DPOY title back in 1996, had a couple of compelling arguments as to why he believes Smart deserves to win this year's title. According to the 53-year-old, it's definitely Smart who's getting his vote:
“Marcus Smart… he plays hard, he play with a lot of dog in him, and I think that yes, he should win (DPOY). Why not?” said Payton (h/t Lee Tran of Fadeaway World). “He has changed a lot of things in a lot of the game.”
Payton is considered as one of the greatest defensive guards this game has ever seen and this is exactly why he is an authority in this matter. It is for this same reason that he believes the Celtics stud should win the DPOY trophy:
“The reason we don't get looked as a guard is because… we don't do the things that I did… I was 94 feet,” Payton explained. “If I could turn and guard three to four times before he gets to half court, and there's only 10 seconds on the shot clock, I've done what I'm supposed to do. They're getting into an offense too late, and they're going to rush. Marcus Smart does the same thing… He makes other people handle the basketball, who ain't supposed to handle the basketball and get into your offense, and he's done that. He's done that all year. He has taken the point guard out every time he plays with effort, and they took him out and made somebody else run the offense who is not supposed to.”
Excellent point from Payton here. He knows what he's talking about here too, and this is yet a glowing endorsement for Smart to bag the DPOY trophy for the first time in his career. There are a number of contenders standing in his way, though, with the likes of Bam Adebayo, Mikal Bridges, and Rudy Gobert, all also in the running for the title.
If you ask Gary Payton, however, his money is on the Celtics talisman:
“He deserves that,” Payton declared. “If you change your offense because of one guy, that's what you're supposed to do.”
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