Smart sheds pounds, adds defensive burden
CANTON — There were times last season when Marcus Smart was having back problems, and it was affecting the Celtics guard’s ability to sleep. He was gaining weight. At 240 pounds, Smart was a little big to play guard, and sometimes it showed.
Sometimes, he said, he would put on a shirt and have to tuck his stomach in because he didn’t like the way it looked.
So this summer, he did something about it. With training camp set to begin today, Smart looks slim and trimmed down. He’s now at 223 pounds, and going into his fourth season with the Celtics, he says he feels as good as he’s felt in his career.
“I was tired, I wasn’t as explosive, and I was exerting so much energy to try to go out there every day and do the things I’ve been doing my whole life,” Smart said of last season. “I wasn’t too fond of that. I didn’t like it one bit, and I knew I had to change.”
The decision to lose weight was suggested by president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who gave Smart credit for wanting to change and taking the challenge head on. Smart worked closely with assistant coach Jay Larranaga and even hired a chef for the summer to focus on changing his diet. Fried foods were out, Mediterranean foods were in. He even started eating dates.
Now, after being embarrassed by the way his stomach looked last season, Smart is walking around with a tank top, sometimes without a shirt at all.
“Put your shirt back on,” Ainge has said to the guard. “We see the six-pack.”
In the gym, though it’s early, the results are noticeable. The new explosiveness has been apparent as Smart has been throwing down lobs and other dunks in pickup games.
“He’s running a lot faster, and he’s jumping a lot higher,” Jaylen Brown said. “It’s kind of weird.”
With Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder now gone, Smart’s value on defense has become even greater, and he thinks his new frame can help him be even better on that end. He’s also embracing a responsibility to continue his defensive prowess — particularly on the perimeter — without Bradley and Crowder in the fold.
“You’re going to see me being able to guard guards like (Washington Wizards stars) John Wall and Bradley Beal and guys like that a lot better,” Smart said.
“With (my) weight, it all became (a situation in which) Avery (had) to take on those guards on the perimeter. I was an undersized 4 man, pretty much. But I think with losing All-Star-talent defenders in Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder, a lot of responsibility does lie on my shoulders. I’m ready for it, and that’s what I’ve been working for this summer.”
Responsibilities certainly are growing for Smart, who’s one of just four returnees from last season’s Eastern Conference finalists, and he’s put in the work to show he’s serious about them. He’s ready for the new challenge, even if he still can’t quite wrap his head around the fact he’s the longest-tenured Celtics player.
“Listen, that’s still a shock to me,” Smart said. “I’m 23 years old, and you guys are calling me the longest-tenured Celtic. I never thought in a million years I would have thought about that. But it’s definitely an honor, and it’s a big responsibility. I take that head on, and I’m ready to get to work and I’m ready to get started. I can speak for everybody on this team. We’re ready to go to work.”