Celtics G Marcus Smart, has been in the gym all off season trying to improve his game, and dropped 20 pounds in the process.  So this means Marcus was around 240 pounds last season. That’s a outrageous weight for a guard.

Via Boston Globe

“I’ve been in the gym nonstop, been eating right, making sure my body’s right,” Smart said on Wednesday during a visit to Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center.

“It’s a different me. I’m more explosive and I’m healthy,” Smart said. “That’s a big part for me. I had to get on my plan. I’m really focused and I locked in this summer.”

“I’ve really been working on my game and getting ready for a larger role,” Smart said. “The Celtics expect me to take that on and be ready, so I’m ready for whatever. I’ve talked numerous times to Danny and Brad, before anything happened, even just during the season . . . be ready to take on that role. And now it’s put into reality. We don’t have Avery, we don’t have Jae, a lot of responsibility is on my shoulders.”

Smart also said he hired a new personal chef.

Marcus comes off a 10.6 points, 4.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 3.9 rebounds campaign where he struggled to find his shooting stoke. He shot just .358% FG and .283% 3PT, but a successful season nonetheless.

Marcus is also now the longest-tenured Celtics player on the roster. And yes, he´s only 23.

Less can create more

With Avery departure, Smart looks to fill the gap that AB left in the defensive side of the floor. Marcus is just as good, or better defender than AB but a bit slower. A slimmer and quicker Marcus could cause some problems for opposing Guards.

This also helps him defend the quicker guards that AB handled in the last couple seasons.

But we probably wont see much of this:

 

Or this:

 

 

This can also help his offensive game a little bit. He lacked explosiveness last season and he never really created much separation off the bounce from defenders, struggling to finishing around the rim. A slimmer Marcus could also mean a quicker shot release.

Marcus will enter his final year of his rookie contract and due a qualifying offer of just over $6 million. This could be an important year for the 23-year-old.

No wonder Bill Belichick went to so many Celtics games. He’s was obviously intrigued by the linebacker in the house.