Boston Celtics vet Marcus Smart is confused by the lack of guards being considered and voted for Defensive Player of the League.

When talking about the DPOY, the usual names that pop up are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert. Of course Smart doesn't like this as he highlighted how guards are often overlooked and disrespected in the conversation.

On Friday after helping the Celtics beat Detroit Pistons with his 20 points, three rebounds, five assists and five steals, Smart opened up about the inequality in DPOY voting. After all, it's weird for him that Boston owns the best defense in the league and he and Robert Williams III are not even at the top of the conversation.

“I don't understand why it's so hard for guards to win it….Guards not winning it, that's some BS. You got me and Rob not even in the discussion for it. On the best defensive team in the league,” Smart shared, per NBA insider Keith Smith.

It's easy to see where Marcus Smart is coming from. While he is not taking away anything from the DPOY contenders, it's truly bizarre that the top defensive guards in the league are not giving a lot of attention. For one, combo guard Mikal Bridges recently climbed the NBA.com DPOY ladder, but the mainstream media is not really talking about it.

Of course there is Smart's argument about him not getting the respect he deserves as well.

There are a lot of factors to consider here, primarily the fact that the ones leading the Defensive Player of the Year race are some of the biggest names in the NBA. Simply put, the likes of Giannis, Gobert and Green are getting a ton of attention for the reputation they have built since the start of their careers.

For this year, it doesn't look like Smart will be able to change the narrative among guards as DPOY candidates. But certainly, the work he's putting on and him being vocal about the issue should be able to help turn heads on guards like him. Hopefully, it'll be sooner rather than later.