There’s not a day I don’t think about Marcus Smart. You might think I’m exaggerating, but my friends in France would confirm that I talk about him on a daily basis. When he was drafted in 2014, I was still in high school. Back then, he quickly became my favorite player. But as you grow older, you stop having favorite players, just like you stop believing in Santa Claus. But when Danny Ainge selected Marcus Smart in the draft, I didn’t know he would become my last “favorite player.”
Fast forward to 2023: Brad Stevens made the trade that reshaped the Boston Celtics’ trajectory and broke my heart.