Celtics' Marcus Smart earns rare NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors as a guard
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Monday.
Smart, 28, previously earned First Team All-Defensive Team honors for his play in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. But winning NBA POTY honors puts him in rare company. The last guard to win the award was Hall of Famer Gary Payton in 1996. Since then, centers have largely dominated the distinction with forwards occasionally earning the honor.
The other finalists for the award were Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert. On Sunday, Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo said it was "disrespectful" that he wasn't also included as a finalist.
The Celtics allowed the fewest points in the NBA during the regular season, holding opponents to an average of 104.5 points per game.
Smart finished sixth in the NBA in steals with 119 and led the league with 1.1 loose balls recovered per game.
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