Celtics' Marcus Smart Wins 2022-23 NBA Hustle Award; 3rd Time Earning Honor

Nobody in the NBA hustles more than Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart.

The NBA named Smart the winner of its 2022-23 Hustle Award on Thursday:

Brian Martin of NBA.com noted this means the Oklahoma State product became the first player in league history to win the award in back-to-back seasons. The award debuted in 2016-17, and he also won it during the 2018-19 campaign.

Martin shared where Smart ranked this season in some of the per-game hustle stats that are tracked by the NBA:

• Charges drawn: 0.18 (10th)

• Loose balls recovered: 0.8 (14th)

• Deflections: 2.6 (16th)

• Box outs: 1.0 (31st)

• Screen assists: 0.8 (37th)

Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, Aaron Nesmith of the Indiana Pacers, Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks and Herbert Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans made up the rest of the top-five finishers for the award this season.

Smart's willingness to do the small things is a major reason Boston has remained on the short list of realistic championship contenders throughout the campaign.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown receive much of the credit for their offensive prowess, but it is Smart who is diving to the floor, setting them up for better looks with screen assists and taking on the responsibility of defending the opponent's best player on a nightly basis.

The 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year also set a career-high with 6.3 assists per game this season, underscoring how his presence helps his teammates find more success.

His hustle was on full display during Wednesday's commanding 121-87 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, as he battled for five rebounds and dove for loose balls all while adding 15 points and fighting through a chest injury that may have limited him some on the court.

It was a much-needed win for the Celtics, who evened their second-round series against the 76ers at one game apiece and made sure they didn't lose each of the first two at home. Now they have the opportunity to earn a split in the upcoming two games in Philadelphia and create a best-of-three battle where they would get home-court advantage back.