Marcus Smart earns the Defensive Player of the Year title

Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart has earned the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2021-22 season, he is the first backcourt player since 1996 to take the award home after Gary Payton. Smart is just the second Celtics player to earn the title after Kevin Garnett won in 2008. Smart received a total of 257 total points and beat the likes of Phoenix forward Mikal Bridges, and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert for the title.

The Jazz player had won the award three times in the past four seasons thus beating the Frenchman would be a big achievement for Smart. The eight-year NBA veteran took part in 71 games with the Celtics this season and ranked sixth in the NBA with 119 total steals, he helped the side finish second in the Eastern Conference with a 51-31 record, averaging 12.1 points, a career-high 5.9 assists, and 3.8 rebounds a game.