What Marcus Smart Brings to the Houston Rockets on Offense and Defense

Last month, former Defensive Player of The Year Marcus Smart signed a two-year contract with the Houston Rockets worth $13 million.

The deal reunites Smart with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, who was Smart’s head coach in Boston when he won the DPOY award and became the sixth guard to win the award, and the first time since Hall of Famer Gary Payton.

"First off, it's understandable why it was such a big man award," Smart said. "They do so much in helping their team on that end. So, we give our credit to the big men. But us guards, we've been working. We're the front line, you've got to get past us first and that's just how we guards feel. So, to be able to be named the Defensive Player of the Year and be the first guard since Gary Payton in 1996 to win this, it just shows not only me but everybody else that it can be done."

"The way the game is changing, the guards are being more recognized for their abilities to do certain things that we shouldn't be able to do at our size. I think this award and me winning it shows that an opens the path for us guards in the future."

During the Celtics 2022 Playoff series against the Miami Heat, Udoka spoke Smart setting the tone after returning from injury against the Heat.

"As always, he sets the tone. He is a defensive player for a reason. His ability to switch and guard bigger bodies gives us another good defender to throw at Butler and those guys, so we do not have to worry about certain matchups being targeted,” said Udoka.

“He brings the physicality every night and gets everybody else in line. Adding Al (Horford) back there as well gives us another versatile piece, so it was not surprising to see how well we guarded with our guys back."

As for Smart’s role in Houston, I see him being one of the defensive anchors on the defense side of the ball and being able to get others such as Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Bogdan Bogdanović, and Jabari Smith Jr. involved on the offensive side of the ball. He is capable of getting his own shot if needed and is a three-point threat from behind the arc.

In the past Ime Udoka, has spoken about not being the type of coach that call plays every time down the court, but trust guards of Smart’s caliber to run the offensive and defensive on the floor.

"He is dictating everything out there and getting us into the right situations. I am not the type of coach that wants to call a play every time down the court,” said Udoka.

“I leave it in his hands, and he usually makes the right decision. He understands who to get going, who is hot, and who the right guy is in the moment."

When there were trade talks of Kevin Durant potentially being traded to Boston back during the summer of 2022, according to Ian Begley of SNY.TV, Durant wanted to play with Smart. Well, now they will have an opportunity to if Durant is not moved elsewhere this season.

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