Even with the Boston Celtics playing much better than they had been to start the 2021-22 NBA season, it could still be a bit of a challenge to think of a Celtics player whose recent play would put them in the running for one of the league’s top honors by the time the curtain closes on the regular season.
But in a new article outlining a series of potential darkhorse candidates with long odds but plausible paths to earning said hardware, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale identified a handful of longshot players to get awards like MVP, Most Improved Player, and Rookie, Executive, Coach, Sixth man, and Defensive Player of the Year.
A Celtics starter was highlighted by Favale as a potential recipient of the latter award, and if you haven’t yet guessed who it is simply by virtue of what that award honors, the player in question is Marcus Smart.
Wednesday’s showing against the Nets certainly did not do much to challenge that perspective. https://t.co/r9YsrWlZ95
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 26, 2021
