addByline("Taylor Snow", "Celtics.com", "taylorcsnow");
BOSTON – The Boston Celtics’ offense has been operating like a smooth, powerful V8 engine of late, and Marcus Smart’s passing has been their oil.
The veteran point guard has been stepping up his game as the team’s primary playmaker and reached new heights Wednesday night, as he dished out a career-high 13 assists in a 125-97 win over the Utah Jazz at TD Garden.
Boston gave the NBA’s leading offense a taste of its own medicine, as it handed out a season-high 37 helpers on 50 made field goals while shooting their best clip of the campaign at 59.5 percent from the field.
Thirteen of those dimes came during the first frame, including nine from Smart alone, as he tied Rajon Rondo’s franchise record for most assists in a quarter.
Smart has now averaged 9.0 assists per game over the Celtics’ last five contests. They’ve won each of those games while averaging 123.4 points in the scoring column.
Even though Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have been combining for a large chunk of Boston's scoring, like they did Wednesday night with 26 points apiece, they say Smart is the guy who is getting them going on the offensive end.
“Marcus is running the show,” said Brown. “We’re trusting him to be the point person and he’s made it easier for everybody. So I tip my hat off to Marcus. Marcus has done a great job. We believe in him. We empower him. What he does on both sides of the ball, he’s been great for us and he’s a big reason on why the team has really turned it around.”
The Celtics have counted on Smart’s passing more than ever this season after they elevated him into the primary playmaking role. He had been waiting his whole career to have a shot at being the team’s starting point guard, and now he’s proving why he belongs in that spot.
“I’ve known what I can do and who I am as a point guard, as a player,” said Smart, who only had to play 27 minutes after helping his C’s build a massive lead over Utah. “My whole career, I've been a point guard. Went to college as a point guard, got drafted as a point guard, and to be actually used as a point guard, I can say that's just where it's at. I'm finally in the right position and it fits me, and it also helps this team.”
Ironically, Al Horford had just been talking about Smart’s fit at the point guard position just a few hours before the career-high assisting effort took place.
The veteran big man mentioned how critical it was for Smart and the starting unit to go through some growing pains at the beginning of the season, knowing that it would pay off once they learned how to maximize each other’s talents.
“There’s never been any doubt in my mind about Marcus’ ability about him leading this team and being a point guard,” Horford said at shootaround Wednesday morning. “He’s been able to show it. For all of us, we had to figure it out early in the year and talk about being patient, have to keep working. It’s not only him; it’s all of us getting acclimated, getting used to one another, getting used to a new style, new system, stuff like that, those things take time, and I’m just glad they gave us the opportunity to stick together and keep working and breaking through … There’s never been any question about Marcus’ ability, and it’s been fun to see him lead our team right now.”