Dwyane Wade recently endorsed Marcus Smart as a potential Defensive Player of the Year, saying that the NBA should consider a guard for the award and not only big men. He mentioned Gary Payton and Michael Jordan as prime examples.
“I know this is normally a big man’s award but this year, we need to get back to the Gary Payton & Michael Jordans of the world, where guards get the Defensive Player of the Year. What Marcus Smart has done … I mean he’s fearless. And it’s not just the blocks, it’s the hustle, it’s the diving on the floor for the ball, it’s the switching 1 through 5 that he does.”
Dwyane Wade
Smart took to Twitter to appreciate D-Wade’s comments. The Boston Celtics point guard echoed his sentiment and said that the guards can play defense as well as any big man.
This season Smart is averaging 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.
