Celtics benefiting from making "Smart" moves this season

The mid-season decision to put the ball in Marcus Smart's hands more, has paid off big for Boston. He led the team with 13 assists against Utah, 10 of which came in his first 13 minutes on the court.

Marcus Smart’s approach in Boston has consistently been very worker bee-like, taking on whatever chores or challenges he has been asked to by the coaches.

But there was a reluctance to expect him to be too much of a playmaker under former Celtics coach Brad Stevens, now the team’s President of Basketball Operations.

As we have seen, the Smart play - pun totally intended - has been to give the veteran guard added responsibility which he openly campaigned for, and eventually rewarded with a shot at being a full-time playmaker.

To his credit, he has made the most of his increased playmaking role which was on full display in Boston’s 125-97 pummeling of the Utah Jazz.

With Boston leading by as many as 32 points with some red-hot shooting (Boston made its first 10 shots from the field), Smart’s minutes were down against Utah from what they normally are.

That still didn’t stop him from putting his imprint on the game in the first half which is when he reached double-digit assists before finishing with a game-high 13 assists.

"Marcus…is clearly the leader on the floor,” said Utah coach Quin Snyder.

Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s blowout win over the Jazz.

STARS

Jayson Tatum: The reigning Eastern Conference player of the week had no problem scoring early and often. He would finish the night with an impressive 26-point performance on 9-for-15 shooting from the field.

Jaylen Brown: The J&J relay tandem was at it again for Boston, with Jaylen Brown picking up the scoring slack left when Tatum went to the bench. Brown had a strong game as well, tallying 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the field to go with five assists and three rebounds.

Donovan Mitchell: The one bright spot for the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 37 points and did so in a relatively efficient manner, on 13-for-24 shooting from the field in addition to grabbing six rebounds.

STUDS

Marcus Smart: How good was Marcus Smart? He had 10 assists for the game, after logging just 13 minutes of court time. His playmaking continued to be strong, finishing the game with 13 assists.

Robert Williams III: The Robert Williams effect was steady all game long, as he tallied a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds along with two assists and a game-high four blocked shots.

Daniel Theis: The minutes are not plentiful, but Daniel Theis continues to step in and make an impact in limited minutes. He played 17 minutes and scored 11 points to go with three rebounds. But more than scoring, Theis gave Boston strong play as a rim protector which included him making a highlight-quality block of a Jordan Clarkson dunk attempt. As Theis went to the bench shortly after the block, he received a standing ovation from the Celtic faithful.

DUDS

Rudy Gobert: Don’t let the final numbers fool you. While Rudy Gobert’s 14-point, 11-rebound performance against Boston will please his fantasy league owners, most of his production had little to no impact on the game. The one statistic that you can count on like clockwork from Gobert to generate, is a blocked shot or two. But against the Celtics who scored 56 points in the paint, Gobert and the entire Utah team failed to block a single shot. It was just the eighth time this season Gobert did not block a shot, but it was the first time he failed to do so in back-to-back games.