The rise of analytics in basketball tell two different stories of Marcus Smart.
The first is rather clear: he’s a below average 3-point shooter who takes as many no no no no YES! shots in the league as anyone. The second, even more obvious: he does all the little things well in what can only be chalked up to hustle and good instincts.
Smart took home the 2018-19 NBA’s Hustle Award on Monday night at the NBA Awards show. If you watch him on the court, it makes sense — he’s diving for loose balls, jumping passing lanes, throwing his body into opponents to box out.