Marcus Smart returns to his battle with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown don’t want to pass the ball.” The leader’s speech in November 2021 about the lack of altruism of two teammates caused a lot of noise. It finally paid off.

The Celtics team was in shape enough to lead Ime Udoka’s coaching to the Finals a few weeks later, and the dynamic hasn’t waned since Boston clinched first place in the East.

Spade Marcus Smart was arrested at that time. Therefore, the person concerned reconsidered the reasons for this statement, not insignificant on his part.

“Everybody heard me say last season about how teams were following us and they thought I was going after Jason and Jaylen. I just want everyone, including them, to know that this is how teams look at us when they scout. This was told to me by the players and coaches who defeated us. As a player and as an opponent, you want to know what it’s like when you lose.”he explained. “Every opponent was saying, ‘Jaylen and Jayson have to pass the ball. They don’t want to do it. They won’t. This team can’t go far until they learn to pass the ball. So I thought, ‘If that’s how they see us, we have to prove them wrong.

More confidence among players

The method was direct, but it helped the collective progress. As a result, a little over a year later, when asked about the main evolution Jaylen Brown and Jason TatumMarcus Smart doesn’t miss an opportunity to drive home his point.

“They trust their teammates more”he replied. “They understand that even if they get the pass early, they can get the ball late to take advantage of a good shot, and if it’s not for them, it’s going to be someone else who has a great shot. It makes it easier for them because they know there will still be a lot of shots. They also know that they attract a lot of attention. Therefore, they can sometimes serve as cheats and save their energy to be used at the right moment, especially at the end of the fourth quarter, at important moments (…). They understood it very well. We all know what Jayson can do. But there’s going to be nights where Jason isn’t that good, and other nights, teams will do a good job of taking him out of the game. So that’s about me, JB, and the other guys. You have to pick up your hat for JB to take over. If he was on another team, he would probably be in the MVP race.

Jayson Tatum, who will be exemplary again on Sunday, can close these two great seasons with the title of MVP. For Marcus Smart, “JT” has no more work to do to try and dethrone Nikola Jokic.

“We must win” he assured. “If our team wins and he continues to play the way he has, it’s going to be hard not to give it to him. We have the best offense in the league and probably in history. We have the best number 1 player. He is also the league’s only MVP candidate with the most games played. He doesn’t miss a single match. He wants to be on the field. There are kids who skip games for whatever reason. But this man comes to work every day and does it consistently. Therefore, if we win, it is difficult not to give him an award.”