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Marcus Smart Named Defensive Player Of The Year

April 18th, 2022 at 6:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced today in a press release.

Smart is the first guard to earn the honor since Gary Payton in the 1995/96 season. He’s also the second Celtic to win the award, joining Kevin Garnett (2007/08).

The 100 votes among sportswriters and broadcasters were spread out, reflecting that there was no clear-cut favorite for the award this season. Smart’s candidacy was aided by Boston’s strong finish and status as the league’s top-rated defensive unit. The team allowed the fewest points per game and lowest field-goal percentage.

Smart received 257 points overall and 37 first-place votes. Suns forward Mikal Bridges finished in second place with 202 points (22 first-place votes), while Jazz center and three-time DPOY Rudy Gobert was in third place with 136 points (12 first-place votes).

Overall, seven players received at least one first-place vote, including Bam Adebayo (13), Jaren Jackson Jr. (10), Giannis Antetokounmpo (5), and Robert Williams III (1). Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Draymond Green, and Matisse Thybulle also earned votes.

The full results can be viewed here.

Smart ranked seventh in the NBA in steals per game (1.68) and tied for sixth in total steals (119). Smart, who signed a four-year, $77MM contract last offseason, ranked among the league leaders in several “hustle” categories, finishing tied for fourth in loose balls recovered (75) and tied for 10th in both deflections (206) and charges drawn (16).

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Atlantic Notes: Celtics, R. Williams, Sixers, Durant

April 17th, 2022 at 7:06pm CST by JD Shaw

The Celtics are still planning to play without Robert Williams III for their entire first-round series against the Nets, Conor Roche of Boston.com writes. Williams suffered a torn meniscus on March 28 and could still return at some point this postseason.

“He’s progressing nicely, coming along. But we’re prepared to play a series without him,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “If we get a surprise and he’s back early, that would be nice. But we’re prepared to play this series without him.”

Boston started Daniel Theis in place of Williams on Sunday, which allowed them to continue playing big. Williams has established himself as one of the league’s best defensive big men, averaging a career-high 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 61 games this season.

Here are some other notes from the Atlantic:

  • Sixers coach Doc Rivers and Raptors coach Nick Nurse understand the playoffs are about making adjustments, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Toronto lost Game 1 of its first-round series against Philadelphia 131-111, allowing Tyrese Maxey to score 38 points. The Sixers also made just three turnovers and shot 51% from the floor.
  • The Sixers were perfectly prepared for Game 1, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice writes. Philadelphia kept the rebounding battle close, which was something the club discussed before the game. “All the days of practice that we had, we knew that’s the type of team that they are, scrappy,” Tobias Harris said. “We’ve been drilling it all day in practice, and when we got out there today, that was our emphasis from early in the game. We had to match their physicality and even be more physical than them.”
  • Brian Lewis of the New York Post examines the evolution of Kevin Durant‘s playmaking. Durant averaged 29.9 points and a career-high 6.4 assists per game for the Nets this season. He recorded 16 assists against Indiana in the team’s final regular-season game, then followed it up with 11 assists against Cleveland in the play-in tournament.
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NBA Announces 2021/22 Award Finalists

April 17th, 2022 at 5:28pm CST by JD Shaw

The NBA has announced the 2021/22 season award finalists for the league’s six major awards: Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors’ 2022 NBA Award Picks]

The awards were voted on by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The three top vote-getters for each award are the finalists. They are as follows:

Most Valuable Player:

Rookie of the Year:

Sixth Man of the Year:

Coach of the Year:

  • Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies)
  • Erik Spoelstra (Heat)
  • Monty Williams (Suns)

Defensive Player of the Year:

Most Improved Player:

Winners will be announced during TNT’s coverage of the NBA playoffs, according to the league.

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Celtics Notes: Smart, Trade Deadline, Udoka, Horford

April 17th, 2022 at 4:03pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Ahead of today’s first playoff game against Brooklyn, starting Celtics point guard Marcus Smart expressed his plan to defend Nets starting point guard (and Smart’s former Boston teammate for two years) Kyrie Irving, per Steve Popper of Newday.

“It’s just making every shot and every possession that he has the ball as hard as possible for him,” Smart said. “He’s one of the greatest to do it for a reason. We understand that we’re not going to shut his water off all the way completely. We understand we’re not going to stop him. He’s going to score. He’s going to make tough shots. But we’re going to make those shots as tough as possible.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • As the Celtics saw improvement in their roster leading up to the February trade deadline, the front office decided to prioritize building for the present, not just the future, writes Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. Himmelsbach takes a detailed look at Boston’s decision-making at the deadline. Team owner Wyc Grousbeck held a meeting with team management and head coach Ime Udoka. “Wyc came to us and said, ‘I think this team could be really good,'” vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren said. “He said, ‘Let’s go for it. We’re not sellers. We’re buyers.'” The team finished the season as the second seed in the East with a 51-31 record, in part thanks to the bolstered bench depth it added via trade in reserves Derrick White and Daniel Theis.
  • Udoka has his players buying in thanks to an excellent conclusion to the 2021/22 NBA season, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “One thing I’ve always admired about him, especially as a first-year head coach, was how hungry he was,” Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum said of his first-year head coach in March. “You could tell how hard he was going to work. We always stuck with him, and he stuck with us and changed our history around.”
  • Returning Celtics big man Al Horford is enjoying his second stint with Boston, and the growth he has witnessed in the teammates with whom he has reunited, per Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. “They inspire me,” Horford said. “Everything has worked now because, not only did those guys grow, but [Robert Williams] came into his own, and there were other things that helped the group to get in the position we’re in today.”
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Nets Notes: Simmons, Harden Trade, Irving

April 16th, 2022 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Proving he can handle contact will be the next step for Ben Simmons in his comeback attempt, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Simmons, who hopes to return at some point during the Nets‘ first-round series against the Celtics, is expected to start 1-on-1 workouts next week, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. A source close to Simmons told Lewis that the team wants to “see him bang to see how the back holds up.”

“Clearly to play in an NBA game you’ve got to have some contact and play the game a little bit,” coach Steve Nash said. “Clearly he’s improving. But I have no idea if he’s getting close to play or not. He’s still on his individual program, still working through his rehab and 1-on-0 stuff. … He does some running, but no sprinting.”

Simmons told reporters who attended today’s practice to “make sure you get this” before throwing down a dunk, showing that his back pain has lessened, Lewis adds. The Nets haven’t decided if Simmons will have to go through all the normal progressions before being cleared to play, but Nash said his presence has been uplifting.

“It’s great to have him on the floor,” he said. “He has plenty of time since he’s been here he hasn’t been able to be on the floor, so just being able to feel the ball and touch the floor a little bit is positive.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

  • In a separate story, Lewis looks back at the 48 hours leading up to the five-player deal that brought Simmons to the Nets. Chances of the trade appeared remote until James Harden started dropping hints that he wanted out of Brooklyn, and it sped up rapidly when Nets owner Joe Tsai and Sixers owner Josh Harris got involved.
  • Kyrie Irving is used to being booed in Boston and he promises it won’t affect his performance in the playoff series, Lewis adds in another piece. Irving’s relationship with Celtics fans has been filled with animosity since he left the team as a free agent in 2019. “I don’t want to focus on anything other than what’s going on with our team, don’t want to focus on the fans, don’t want to focus on any extra stuff outside of my control. The environment is going to be the environment,” Irving said.
  • Irving continues to defend his choice on the COVID-19 vaccine that cost him a major part of the season, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I can really say that I stood firm on what I believed in, what I wanted to do with my body,” Irving said. “I think that should be not just an American right, I think that should be a human right.”
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Simmons To Ramp Up Activity, Could Play In First Round

April 16th, 2022 at 10:21am CST by Dana Gauruder

Ben Simmons could make his season debut during the latter stages of the Nets’ series against the Celtics, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

After running and shooting pain-free for over a week, Simmons will now scrimmage against teammates in practices. His workouts up until now have been limited to 1-on-0 situations (Twitter links).

The possibility of Simmons taking the court adds even more intrigue into what will likely be the most-watched first round series. ESPN and The Athletic reported on Friday that Simmons was aiming for a return somewhere in the Game 4 to Game 6 range of the series. Game 4 is scheduled for April 25, with the remaining games (if necessary) to be played every other night afterward.

According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), there’s growing optimism that Simmons could suit up as early as Game 3, which will take place next Saturday, April 23 when the Nets return to Brooklyn.

However, Kevin Durant said on Thursday he’s “not expecting” Simmons to play in the series, stressing that he doesn’t want to place any pressure on the three-time All-Star. Simmons has been rehabbing from a back injury, which has delayed his Nets debut.

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Celtics Assistant Hardy A Top Candidate To Replace Popovich?

April 15th, 2022 at 12:44pm CST by Luke Adams
  • In his latest Substack article, Marc Stein says his best read on the Spurs‘ coaching situation is that Celtics assistant Will Hardy – who was formerly an assistant in San Antonio – could be at the front of the line to succeed Gregg Popovich if the longtime Spurs coach decides to step down this offseason.
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Postseason Injury Updates: Curry, Kennard, Doncic, Saric, Williams

April 14th, 2022 at 9:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Earlier on Thursday, reports surfaced that Warriors star guard Stephen Curry was on track to return from his foot injury for Game 1 against Denver on Saturday. That didn’t change after the team’s scrimmage today.

Afterward, coach Steve Kerr said that Curry is “optimistic he’ll play Saturday,” Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Curry wouldn’t say it’s a given he’ll play, but that’s his expectation, Kendra Andrews of ESPN writes.

“Everything has been positive in terms of getting back out there and understanding I’ll be ready to play whenever that time is. I’m hoping it’s Saturday,” he said. “I’ll try to be the best version I can be having missing a little bit of time … I have high confidence I can go out there and help our team win.”

Curry will be on an unspecified minutes restriction, Andrews adds.

We have more postseason-related injury news:

  • The Clippers are listing swingman Luke Kennard as questionable for Friday’s do-or-die play-in game against New Orleans, Scott Kushner of NOLA.com tweets. Kennard tweaked his right hamstring during the regular-season finale on Sunday.
  • While Luka Doncic reportedly will miss Game 1 of the Mavericks’ playoff series against Utah, the team has yet to officially rule him out, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News reports. Coach Jason Kidd said Doncic is “progressing” from the calf strain he suffered in the regular-season finale. “He’s doing good,” Kidd said. “Didn’t practice, but is in good spirits, and had a good day.”
  • It’s very unlikely Dario Saric will suit up for the Suns during the playoffs. However, he left the door open a crack, telling the media he could return in an emergency situation where multiple Suns big men get hurt and he’s feeling healthy enough to play, according to Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com. Saric tore the ACL in his right knee last July during Game 1 of the Finals.
  • Celtics center Robert Williams continue to “ramp up” his left knee rehab, according to coach Ime Udoka, though he’s still not cleared for contact, Jared Weiss tweets. “He’s getting on court basketball drills, mixing in pretty much everything,” Udoka said. “Not contact, but any basketball drill. Getting a lot of shots up, weight-bearing, strength, agility. It’s low level, but he’s ramping up day by day and feeling good about it.”
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Injury Updates: Simmons, Murray, Williams, Kleber

April 14th, 2022 at 9:08am CST by Luke Adams

In an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday morning, Brian Windhorst said that there’s a real chance Ben Simmons could make his Nets debut at some point during the team’s first-round series vs. Boston (video link).

“I am told that Ben Simmons is targeting Games 4, 5, or 6 for making his Brooklyn Nets debut,” said Windhorst, who added that he was “taken aback” when he received that information. “My response was, ‘Is he even playing 5-on-5 yet?’ And the answer to that is no, but the hope is by the end of the week he can ramp up to that.

“… It’s a big ask, but I have to say that really for seven (or) eight weeks now, I’ve heard nothing but pessimism on the Ben Simmons front and that has switched dramatically in the last few days.”

Shams Charania of The Athletic has also reported that a first-round return is a possibility for Simmons. When asked on Wednesday about Charania’s report, head coach Steve Nash pumped the brakes a little, telling reporters that there’s still no set timeline for Simmons’ debut. However, Nash did say the three-time All-Star has been making “heavier progress” in the last week, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“He’s moving more, he’s shooting, he’s starting to move a little bit on the court in a one-on-zero environment,” Nash said. “So definitely positive signs that it’s improving and moving and all those things. But like I said he hasn’t been running full speed or playing against anybody, so still a lot more markers to meet.”

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

  • Jamal Murray‘s potential return from ACL surgery is in the “red zone,” Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said during an appearance on 92.5 FM Altitude Sports in Denver, meaning a decision will likely be made soon (Twitter link via Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports). A first-round return remains possible for Murray, who is still ahead of Michael Porter Jr. in the rehab process, according to Connelly.
  • Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said on Wednesday that he hasn’t closed the door on Murray returning in the first round, but “would lean more towards him being doubtful” for the club’s series vs. Golden State, as Mike Singer of The Denver Post relays.
  • Appearing today on Toucher & Rich on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said he remains comfortable with the four- to six-week timeline the team initially announced for Robert Williams‘ recovery (Twitter link via Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston). Williams is progressing well, according to Stevens, but still hasn’t been cleared for contact and has “a ways to go.”
  • Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber missed the last four games of the regular season due to right ankle soreness, but went through a full practice on Wednesday and said he feels “100% better,” writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
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Celtics Notes: R. Williams, Irving, Tatum, Smart

April 13th, 2022 at 5:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The schedule for the Celtics‘ first-round matchup with the Nets increases the chances that injured center Robert Williams will be available before the series is over, writes Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston.

The series will open Sunday, with two off days following Game 1 and Game 2. Hartwell notes that Williams was given a four- to six-week prognosis when he underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee on March 30. The reports on Williams’ progress have all been positive, Hartwell adds, and the four-week mark will be April 27, which is the night of Game 5.

Coach Ime Udoka gave another encouraging update on Williams after today’s practice, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. “Doing a little bit more every day. He’s looking good,” Udoka said. “We’re happy with the progress. He’s out on the court. Doing some shooting drills, some touch work. We’re still preparing for a series without him.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • Nets guard Bruce Brown made headlines with a statement about the prospect of attacking the Celtics without Williams in the middle, but Udoka has confidence in Al Horford and Daniel Theis to protect the basket, per Brian Robb of MassLive. “We still have two high-level defenders back there, big guys with Daniel and Al, and we have layers to our defense,” Udoka said. “… Obviously we played quite a few games without him now and have done good enough beating some good teams.” Boston went 4-3 after Williams got hurt, but Robb points out that several starters were rested in two of those losses.
  • Kyrie Irving has been a villain in Boston since he left the city as a free agent in 2019, but that animosity doesn’t extend to Celtics players, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. Jayson Tatum said Irving was very helpful during his rookie season, adding that Irving has shared some regrets over what happened in Boston. “We’ve talked and there are some things that he probably told me he wished he would have done differently,” Tatum said. “But I think that’s a part of life. No one is perfect, you just got to move on from it as you get older.”
  • Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston examines how Marcus Smart has thrived as a point guard after Udoka allowed him to play that role on a full-time basis for the first time in his career. Smart, who received a four-year extension during the offseason, has become an on-court leader and is in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year honors.
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