The NBA Hustle Award was introduced to the league in the 2016-17 season. This award is given to players whose efforts don’t always appear in the traditional box score. These include deflections, charges drawn, loose balls recovered, scree-assists, and more. Taking home the 2022-23 NBA Hustle Award is Boston’s, Marcus Smart. He won the award last season and has also won it in three of the last five seasons.
Smart is the first player in league history to win the award in back-to-back seasons. Draymond Green, Aaron Nesmith, Mitchell Robinson, and Herb Jones were finalists for the award. Boston has their superstars on the roster, but Marcus Smart does the little things that impact the game immensely.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown get love from the fans and the media. Marcus Smart does the dirty work that helps the team win on a nightly basis. Game 3 between Boston and Philadelphia will be played tomorrow night at 7:30 pm EST.
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is the winner of the 2022-23 NBA Hustle Award.
Smart has earned the annual honor for the second straight season and the third time in five seasons.
A look at his impactful effort plays ➡️ https://t.co/BltE74x3oT pic.twitter.com/TraGOE0jyh
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 4, 2023
Marcus Smart is the winner of the 2022-23 NBA Hustle Award
Brain Martin of NBA.com shared some statistical rankings of where Marcus Smart lands in terms of the stats tracked for the Hustle Award. They were as follows.
- 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)
He was also tenth in steals per game (1.5) this season. His intensity on the defensive end helped Boston finish the regular season with the 2nd best defensive efficiency rating. Smart is also not afraid to battle with bigger players in the post to fight for rebounds. He was 31st in the league for box outs this year, first among all guards.
To the player who truly gives it his all night in and night out ☘️👏🏾
Congrats @smart_MS3 on becoming a 3x @NBA Hustle Award recipient. pic.twitter.com/E4SykwcOP6
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 4, 2023
Boston secured their rebounds at (.965) percent this season when Marcus Smart was boxing out. He has the willingness to do the little things that Boston needs to win. Smart was the Defensive Player of the Year last season and he carried that into Boston’s campaign in 2022-23.
