Marcus Smart is ready to begin a new season with the Boston Celtics, but he also understands they have a bunch of young guys who are probably feeling a little nervous ahead of their first official regular season game.
With that said, the former lottery pick gave some word advice for his younger teammates, per Jay King of The Athletic.
“It’s going to be a dogfight. You can’t come in looking pretty,” Smart said. “You can’t come in scared to get hit.They’re going to knock you down and you’ve got to be willing to get in there and get your nose bloody a little bit.”
The Celtics have a bunch of rookies on their roster; Carson Edwards, Grant Williams, Robert Williams and Tacko Fall. While most of them aren't expected to contribute significantly right from the get-go, Smart wants everyone on the team to be ready when their numbers are called.
After a disappointing 2018-19 campaign, the Celtics are looking to start fresh. They have All-Star guard Kemba Walker to help them lead the way, while Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart are poised to take on a bigger role as the core of the team.
Of course, Boston is also hoping that their rookies will develop into players who can put up decent numbers on a nightly basis. Luckily for them, Smart was wise to give them a preview of things to come.
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