Rookie Marcus Smart was looking to learn. As a new NBA player, he needed a veteran to teach him the ropes, give him the lay of the land, and be the voice in his ear when he made mistakes.
On a team full of experienced guards like Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Isaiah Thomas, and Evan Turner, it was forward Brandon Bass that Smart gravitated to most.
“He was my vet,” Smart said. “He gave me a hard time here and there, but it was all good.”
The Celtics are celebrating different eras all season long as part of their 75th anniversary celebrations. Against the Heat Monday night, it was the 10’s in the spotlight, and Bass, along with ‘08 champion Eddie House, were the honorees. During the timeout when they were introduced, Smart made sure to run to mid-court to welcome Bass back to Boston.
“It was great to see him. To be honest, I thought I would never see Brandon again once he left,” Smart said. “So it was really, really good to see him … he hasn’t changed a bit. He told me he was still ready, waiting on a 10-day. But no, it was really good to see him, and he was a good vet when I was there and he really helped me get through my rookie year.”
Bass took Smart under his wing during their brief time together. Bass signed with the Lakers after Smart’s rookie year, but that one year together resonated with Smart.
“Just talking to me, after games watching film with me and showing me the things that he sees on the floor and things that I can work on,” Smart said. “How to maneuver through this league and what to do early on and what not to do early on.”
As great as it was for Smart to see him, it was also a bit of a reminder of how fleeting an NBA career can be. Smart made his debut in 2014 and is now in his eighth NBA season.
“They were showing vintage clips, old clips, and I’m looking like ‘dang, was Brandon on the screen? Was he there with me?” Smart said. “That's how long I’ve been here. It was my rookie year when I played with him, so it’s good to see him. He’s never changed. It just brings back memories. I’m getting old.”
SMART’S SURPRISING ADMISSION
Despite the early guidance, Smart has had plenty of moments in the league where his emotions have gotten the best of him.
Most notoriously, a picture frame punching incident in Los Angeles in 2018 that nearly ended his career.
“When I hurt my hand, it kind of stunned me. I didn’t know if I was going to play again,” Smart told me in a 2019 interview. The injury cost him 11 games, but there were greater consequences.
Smart walked into the New Orleans interview room Saturday shaking his right hand. When he was asked if his hand was ok, he gave a surprising answer.
“Yeah it gets like this ever since the picture frame incident,” he said. “Still have some glass in here and they said it would probably cause more problems to take the glass out so they just left it in, so I still have glass in my hand. Sometimes I can’t feel my hand but it comes back.”
It was a shocking revelation, especially considering we haven't heard about this being an issue, basically, since 2018. It seems like it’s something he’s been dealing with since then, and will continue to deal with for a while.
When asked if it would be something he’d correct after his career is over, he said “yeah, probably see what I could do. It’s not too bad. I mean, the doctor said I should be okay. But they said it would probably cause more problems to take the glass out so they left it. So ever since that day I’ve had glass in my hand.”
BEHIND THE ALL-STAR VOTING PROCESS
Ime Udoka is a first-time head coach, which means he’s a first-time All-Star voter. So, Ime, what do you base your votes on?
“Record is a huge part of it in my opinion,” he said. “You look at some numbers and everybody has a different opinion on what they value. Some guys are scoring high numbers on teams that aren’t winning, versus you look at a team like Chicago or Cleveland that kind of came out of nowhere and what the guys have done to impact that.
“I really value the winning aspect, because across the board someone may be at 29 but not winning versus 25, 26 with some other guys, like a Chicago with (Zach) LaVine and (DeMar) DeRozan and what those guys have done to impact and change the course of the season for those guys. So I value the winning for sure but at the same time you can’t deny or take away from a guy that’s really scoring or doing some exceptional things on a poor team.”
If the end there seemed like a hedge, it might because he realized that the follow up might have something to do with his own potential All-Stars, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, getting penalized for Boston’s mediocre record.
“Well, I mean, guys have been in and out all year for a lot of teams, so I don’t think that should be held against a guy like Jaylen who has missed some,” Udoka said. “When he’s come back and lately, especially with those two, I think they’ve been playing extremely well together. It’s a short sample size but us being 4-0 when they’ve both scored 30, and so you see how they impact the game.”
He added that they are “one of the top tandems in the league, they’re flirting around that 50 number with what they average between each other and I think we go where they go. When we’re good, when they’re really good together, we’re undefeated.”
That's some masterful spin.
The reserves will be announced Thursday at 7 p.m.