Marcus Smart, the guard for the Boston Celtics, has been declared the winner of the 2022-23 NBA Hustle Award, making this the third time in his career that he has earned the honor. The NBA announced the news on Wednesday, and Smart is the first player to have won the award in consecutive seasons.
Marcus Smart’s Hustle Stats
The Hustle Award is given to players who make efforts that don’t appear in the traditional box score but have a significant impact on the game’s outcome. The NBA has been tracking hustle stats such as deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots, and box-outs since the 2016 playoffs. These stats can be viewed on both an individual and team level on NBA.com/Stats.
Marcus Smart’s hustle stats demonstrate his excellence in every aspect of the game. As the rankings illustrate, Smart showcases hustle in every aspect of the game. He was named the 2021-22 Kia Defensive Player of the Year and didn’t hesitate to dive on the floor for a loose ball, securing 14th place in loose balls recovered per game this season.
Smart is ready to step in front of a player driving full speed toward the basket and sacrifice his body to take a charge. The charge not only earns his team a possession, it counts as a turnover for the opposing team and a personal foul for the charging player. Smart finished 10th in charges drawn per game, taking 11 total charges drawn in 61 games played.
Deflections and Rebounding
The same court vision and instincts that allow Smart to beat an opponent to the spot and draw a charge also help him read passing lanes and disrupt opposing offenses with deflections. Smart ranked 16th in deflections (2.6 per game) and 10th in steals (1.5 per game) this season.
Smart’s hustle on the defensive end of the court helped the Celtics finish the regular season ranked second in defensive efficiency, allowing 110.6 points per 100 possessions.
Smart doesn’t just excel in hustle plays usually dominated by guards — he’s also ready to mix it up with the big men to battle for rebound position. Smart ranked 31st overall and first among guards in box-outs per game.
The Celtics secured the rebound on 96.5% of Smart’s box outs, even though Smart only secured the rebound 19.3% of the time on his box outs. The willingness to clear space for a teammate to secure a rebound for the team is a perfect example of a hustle play.
Smart’s Impact on the Celtics
Another hustle stat usually dominated by centers and power forwards are screen assists: screens that lead directly to a made shot by a teammate. Smart ranked 37th overall and second among guards (trailing only teammate Jayson Tatum) in screen assists per game.
Smart uses all of his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame to help free up his teammates for open looks, helping Boston finish tied for fourth in efficiency in pick-and-roll ball handler plays at 0.96 points per possession.
In his ninth NBA season, Smart finished the regular season with averages of 11.5 points, a career-best 6.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game and a career-best six double-doubles. Although these numbers don’t come close to measuring Smart’s impact on the game for the Celtics.
His energy plays, the sacrifices he makes for his teammates, and the all-out effort in which he competes may not appear in the traditional box score.
