In the past three games since the All-Star Break, take a guess at how many baskets have been scored by Marcus Smart's match-ups when he contests their shots. None! That is not the end of the story. How many have his match-ups attempted in those three games when Marcus contested? Same answer - none. When guarded by Smart, opponents haven't seemed prone to attempt either two-pointers of threes against him. That is an impressive statistic.
Just as Bill Russell's opponents feared driving into the paint against him for fear of being blocked, Marcus seems to instill fear in his match-ups, preventing them from launching shots with him in close proximity.