Marcus Smart Lands On Two NBA GM Survey Lists

Every year, NBA general managers submit a survey with several questions on it. The questions range from who will win each conference and the MVP award to smaller things like which rookie will be the most successful five years from now or which player was the most underrated acquisition last offseason. Marcus Smart placed in the top five for two of the questions that were asked and received votes in another.

Receiving 13 percent of the vote, Smart placed tied for second (with Lebron James) for toughest player in the NBA, because of course. Marcus is fearless and stuffs nerds in lockers for a living. He tied with Lebron and only trailed Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams in the vote. Adams received 33 percent to win the poll. Smart also received more votes than Draymond Green (DRAYMOND GREEN!!!!) in this poll.

I’ve probably never seen a more accurate tweet about Marcus in my life:

The other poll that Marcus placed in is far less predictable. Smart has been a professional tough guy his whole life, so that first vote is just giving respect where respect is due. But the other poll that Marcus placed in gives him some well-deserved recognition for his ability to impact games despite not being a starter or an offensive threat.

Smart placed tied for fourth with teammate Terry Rozier (each receiving seven percent of the vote) for the question of which NBA bench player makes the biggest impact when he enters the game. Smart and Rozier trailed Lou Williams (41 percent), Eric Gordon (28 percent), and Andre Iguodala (10 percent) in the poll. Smart and Rozier are two of the most important members of the Marcus Morris coined “Bench With Attitude” squad in Boston.

Smart landed outside the top five but received votes for another question, praising his defensive chops. Smart polled in the top six for most versatile defensive player in the league. Draymond Green won the poll at 53 percent, followed by Kawhi Leonard at 30 percent and Lebron James at seven percent. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler and Marcus Smart all received votes at less than seven percent. Smart is the defensive heartbeat for a Celtics team that finished second in polling for best defensive team in the league with 34 percent of the vote, trailing only Utah at 45 percent.

I’ll let Marcus polish off this piece ⬇️