Marcus Smart arrived in Los Angeles with questions surrounding what he still had left in the tank.
Less than a year later, the veteran guard has become one of the emotional anchors behind the Lakers’ playoff run.
After Monday’s practice, Lakers center Deandre Ayton spoke glowingly about Smart’s impact on the team, praising the former Defensive Player of the Year for the leadership and intensity he has brought to the locker room throughout the season.
“Marcus is a true leader,” Ayton said. “Besides Bron, Luka or AR, Marcus is the guy with the grit. When we feel discombobulated, he tries to be that guy, he’ll put his arms around me, some of the younger guys. Whether or not it’s coming down to the competitiveness, keeping that same consistent edge, Marcus tries to keep that level of intensity pretty high. And it’s contagious, too. Just having that guy who always like he just smelled some salt and he’s ready to go. It’s contagious and we feed off of it as young guys. And we’ve got his back.”
The Lakers brought in both Smart and Deandre Ayton on bargain deals last offseason after each player reached buyouts with their former teams.
While Ayton helped stabilize the frontcourt following the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade, Smart quickly became invaluable on the defensive end while also emerging as one of the team’s loudest voices internally.
Smart played a massive role in helping keep the Lakers afloat when both Doncic and Austin Reaves missed time with Grade Two muscle strains earlier this season.
Smart was equally quick to credit Ayton for stepping up in the postseason.
“For me, it’s DA,” Smart said about the difference in the series. “He played his ass off tonight, excuse my language. But he was locked in from the start to the finish. He kept his composure and he really set the tone for us on the defense end and it allowed me to do what I do and everybody else to kind of galvanize and come together and do our thing.”
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