Behind the Body: Boston Celtics Guard Marcus Smart

Author:
Sarah Toland
Publish date:
Jun 27, 2014

He’s 6-foot-4, ripped, and as of this past Thursday, a professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics—not too shabby when you’re not even old enough to legally drink alcohol. “I’m excited, I’m really excited,” says 20-year-old Marcus Smart, picked by Boston sixth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. “The Celtics are an amazing franchise and a great organization to play with.”

The athletic guard spent two years at Oklahoma State — drilling an average of 18 points per game, along with 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists — last season before Boston punched his ticket.

“I wasn’t surprised that Boston called my name,” says Smart, who played at Marcus High School in Dallas. “I worked out with them twice, and they told me they really liked me and liked my competitive nature.” The team should also like Smart’s body. “I have a great body for the NBA,” he says. “Just to maintain it and stay fit is good—and it looks good, too.”

But sorry, Lady Celtics fans, the guard has a girlfriend.

Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart, right, poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected sixth overall by the Boston Celtics during the 2014 NBA draft.
AP Photo/Jason DeCrow


age	height	weight
20 years old	6-foot-4	220 lbs.

Training grounds: Boston and Dallas

Nickname: Smarticus.“They started called me that Oklahoma State, and now everyone calls me that.”

Hours spent training per day: Up to four.

Days spent training per week: Six.

Hours spent in the weight room per week: Three. “I get in and I get out.”

Go-to workout: Shooting up to 600 shots per day. “My go-to workout has changed recently, and I’m now trying to get up a lot of shots to get more consistent muscle repetition.”

Secret workout: Reflexology. “I love reflexology—it’s amazing. As a person whose career is on my feet, it relaxes me and keeps me healthy and helps me do those long hours on the court. I do it once a week.”

Beyond the Ball: The Most Athletic Picks in the NBA Draft

Aaron Gordon | PF-C | 6'7.5" | 220 lbs. | Hand width: 10.5"

AP910131578294 (1).jpg — Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo

The Arizona Wildcats' freshman had the best time in the shuttle run (2.76 seconds), which measures a player's agility and ability to change direction.

Zach LaVine | PG | 6'4.5" | 181 lbs. | Hand width: 8.75"

The UCLA freshman placed in the top five in 4 out of the 5 events, and had the best time overall in the lane agility drill (10.42 seconds), which measures lateral quickness.

Doug McDermott | SF | 6'6" | 218 lbs. Hand width: 9.75"

The Creighton senior scored in three events, most notably running the lane agility drill in 11.10 seconds.

Jordan Clarkson | PG | 6'3" | 186 lbs Hand width: 9"

The Missouri product ran an impressive lane agility drill (10.76 seconds) and scored in the top tier in all five events.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo | SF | 6'5" 205 lbs. | Hand width: 9.75"

Antetokounmpo hails from Greece and played in the NBA D-League this past season. He scored in top 30 in all five events and had the fifth fastest time in the three quarter sprint (3.18 seconds).

Nick Johnson | SG | 6'1.5" | 198 lbs. | Hand width: 9.75"

The Arizona Wildcats' junior performed in the top 30 of all five events and tied for the third-best vertical leap jump, with a 41.5" leap.

K.J. McDaniels | SF | 6'4.5" | 195 lbs. Hand width: 9.75"

The Clemson product had the best time of the combine in the three quarter sprint (3.10 seconds), which measures a sprint from the baseline to the three quarter court mark.

Marcus Smart | PG | 6'2" | 227 lbs. | Hand width: 8.75"

The Oklahoma St. sophomore scored in the top 30 of all five events.

Glenn Robinson III | SF | 6'5.5" | 211 lbs. | Hand width: 9.5"

The Michigan sophomore also scored in the top 5 in all of the strength and agility drills and tied for first in the standing vertical leap, with a 36.5" jump.

DeAndre Kane | PG | 6'2.5" | 199 lbs. Hand width: 9"

Kane spent his first three seasons at Marshall University before becoming an Iowa State Cyclone. He scored in the top 30 of all five events at the Draft Combine.

Nik Stauskas | PG | 6'5" | 206 lbs. | Hand width: 8.5"

The Michigan sophomore scored in the top tier in four out of five of the strength and agility drills, including an impressive lane agility time (10.79 seconds).

Dante Exum | SG | 6'4.5" | 196 lbs. | Hand width: 9.5"

The 18-year-old from Australia placed in the top tier in four of the five events, making his mark with the second-best lane agility time (10.75 seconds).

Elfrid Payton | PG | 6'2.5" | 185 lbs. | Hand width: 9"

A junior from the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, Payton scored in the top 30 in all of the strength and agility drills at the Draft Combine.

Aaron Craft | PG | 6'1" | 195 lbs. | Hand width: 8.5"

Craft spent four years at Ohio State and he performed in the top 30 in three events at the Draft Combine: the lane agility drill, the shuttle run and the standing vertical leap.

Cleanthony Early | SF | 6'6" | 209 lbs. Hand width: 9"

The senior from Wichita State also scored in the top tier of all five events, with his best performance coming in the standing vertical leap (34 inches).

James McAdoo | PF-C | 6'7.5" | 276 lbs. | Hand width: 9"

The North Carolina junior placed in the top 30 in three events: the shuttle run, three quarter sprint and the standing vertical leap.

C.J. Wilcox | SG | 6'3.5" | 201 lbs. | Hand width: 9"

The Washington Huskies' senior placed in the top tier in all five events at the Draft Combine.

Jarnell Stokes | PF-C | 6'7" | 262 lbs. Hand width: 10.5"

The Tennessee junior scored in the top tier in three out of five events: maximum vertical leap, standing vertical leap and the three quarter sprint.

Khem Birch | PF-C | 6'7.5" | 208 lbs. | Hand width: 8.5"

The UNLV junior also scored in the top 30 in three out of five events: three quarter sprint, standing vertical leap and maximum vertical leap.

Tyler Ennis | PG | 6'1" | 181 lbs. | Hand width: 8.75"

The Syracuse freshman scored in the top tier of three of out the five events, with the third-best time in the shuttle run (2.84 seconds) being his most impressive performance.

Deonte Burton | PG | 6'0" | 192 lbs. | Hand width: 8"

Burton completed his college career at Nevada, and scored in top 30 in three of the five events in the Draft Combine.

Dwight Powell | PF-C | 6'9.5" | 234 lbs. | Hand width: 9.25"

The senior from Stanford was one of the tallest at the Draft Combine, and performed in the top 30 in three of the five events.

P.J. Hairston | SG | 6'4" | 228 lbs. | Hand width: 9.75"

After two years at North Carolina, Hairston played for the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League and he scored in the top 30 in three events at the Draft Combine.

Russ Smith | PG | 5'11.5" | 160 lbs. | Hand width: 8.5"

The senior out of Louisville one of the shortest players at the Draft Combine, but finished in the top 30 in three of the five events.

Markel Brown | SG | 6'2.5" | 184 lbs. | Hand width: 9.75"

The Oklahoma State senior showed his jumping abilities at the Draft Combine, finishing in first place for the maximum vertical leap and the standing vertical leap and in the top 30 in two other events.

Shabazz Napier | PG | 5'11" | 175 lbs. Hand width: 8.5"

After winning two National Championships at the University of Connecticut, Napier finished in the top 30 in three out of the five events.

Devyn Marble | SG | 6'5" | 192 lbs. | Hand width: 8.5"

The Iowa Hawkeyes senior scored in the top tier in all of the events except for the maximum vertical leap.

Jahii Carson | PG | 5'9.75" | 179 lbs. | Hand width: 8.75"

The shortest athlete at the Draft Combine, the Arizona State sophomore placed in the top 30 in four of the five events.

Patric Young | PF-C | 6'8.5" | 246 lbs. Hand width: 9.5"

The Florida Gators' senior finished in the top tier in four of the five events at the Draft Combine.

T.J. Warren | SF | 6'7" | 220 lbs. | Hand width: 9"

The sophomore out of North Carolina State placed in four of the five events at the Draft Combine.

Biggest physical challenge: Adapting to an 82-game season. “You come from college playing 32 and then you go to playing 82, that’s a lot more games.”

Best recovery tip: Ice baths. “It helps my muscles recover faster—definitely ice baths.”

Calories consumed per day:“I don’t know.”

Pre-game meal: Any type of pasta. “I do it for the carbo-loading and everything. It fills me up, and it’s good for you.”

Typical recovery meal: More pasta. “It’s crazy because I eat pasta again after [games]. I eat more pasta for my recovery than when I do my pre-game, but it’s just good for you. Chicken Alfredo is my favorite.”

Celebration meal: Steak. “After the draft, I had big ole steak right outside [Barclays] stadium. I was with my family, and we just went out to eat to some little spot—I don’t even remember the name. It was lovely. I enjoyed it.”

Dietary vice: Oreo cookies with milk. “If I can, I would eat the whole bag.”

What he was thinking while waiting to be called up:“I knew that if I didn’t get called one through five [draft pick], I would get called six or seven. So I wasn’t worried. And I wasn’t surprised that Boston called my name. I worked out with them twice, and they told me they really liked me and liked my competitive nature.”

What he likes about the Celtics: “The Celtics are an amazing franchise and a great organization to play with. It’s a good tradition, and everyone knows how much pride they have in the team.”

His thoughts on moving to Boston:“I’ve only been there twice, but I hear it’s a great city, and everyone I’ve talked to has positive things to say about it.”