# Marcus Smart
**Marcus Smart** (Marcus Osmond Smart, born 1994) is an American professional basketball player who plays guard for the [Houston Rockets](https://www.edgepedia.org/houston-rockets) of the [National Basketball Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-basketball-association) (NBA). He was selected sixth overall by the [Boston Celtics](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-celtics) in the 2014 NBA Draft, was named the NBA's 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year as the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton in 1995-96, and has since played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Lakers before joining Houston in 2026.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio) • [2](https://lalweb.blob.core.windows.net/public/lakers/media-relations/2025-26-Lakers-Media-Guide.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / physical | 1994; 6'3" (1.91 m), 220 lb (100 kg); USA; last attended Oklahoma State[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio) |
| Draft | 2014 NBA Draft, first round, sixth overall, by the Boston Celtics[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio) |
| Signature honor | 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year; three-time All-Defensive First Team (2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22); three-time NBA Hustle Award winner[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio) |
| Career production (first ten seasons) | 601 regular season games (380 starts), averaging 10.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.0 minutes[3](https://s3.grizzliesapp.com/MG_2425_MediaGuide_Web_Final.pdf) |
| Playoffs | 108 postseason games with Boston, conference finals five times and the 2022 NBA Finals[3](https://s3.grizzliesapp.com/MG_2425_MediaGuide_Web_Final.pdf) |
| Teams | Boston Celtics 2014-2023, Memphis Grizzlies 2023-24, Washington Wizards 2024-25, Los Angeles Lakers 2025-26, Houston Rockets 2026-[4](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/bio?id=2990992) |
| Current contract | Two-year, $13 million deal with Houston signed July 2026, the second year a player option[5](https://as.com/baloncesto/los-lakers-pierden-otra-pieza-clave-marcus-smart-se-va-f202607-n/) |
## College and draft
Smart played college basketball for Oklahoma State and was named All-Big 12 First Team in 2013-14.[2](https://lalweb.blob.core.windows.net/public/lakers/media-relations/2025-26-Lakers-Media-Guide.pdf) He was a five-star high school recruit who chose Oklahoma State.[6](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/boston-celtics/news/marcus-smart-teams-played-celtics-lakers/dc951dbef735aab99ad00a85) The Boston Celtics selected him sixth overall in the 2014 draft on June 26, 2014, and he signed a multi-year contract on July 5, 2014.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio) He earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2014-15.[7](https://www.nba.com/lakers/team/player-pages/marcus-smart-203935)
## Boston Celtics, 2014-2023
Smart spent his first nine professional seasons in Boston, where he became the emotional pillar of teams built by [Danny Ainge](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-ainge) and coached on the floor by [Brad Stevens](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-stevens).[8](https://as.com/baloncesto/las-horas-perdidas-de-marcus-smart-n/)
**Defensive Player of the Year.** In 2021-22 Smart started all 71 appearances, averaged 12.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals, and was named the [NBA Defensive Player of the Year](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-defensive-player-of-the-year), becoming the first guard to receive the award since [Gary Payton](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-payton) in 1995-96.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio) That season Boston reached the [NBA Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-finals), where Smart averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals in six games against the Golden State Warriors; the Celtics lost the series.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio) He reached the conference finals five times in his career and made the playoffs in every season through his Boston tenure.[3](https://s3.grizzliesapp.com/MG_2425_MediaGuide_Web_Final.pdf)
His best scoring game came on January 18, 2020 against Phoenix: a career-high 37 points on 13-of-25 shooting with 11 three-pointers, a Celtics single-game franchise record for three-pointers made.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio)
**Departure.** After Boston lost the 2022 Finals and the 2023 conference finals, the Celtics retooled and traded Smart on June 23, 2023 in a three-team deal: Boston received Kristaps Porzingis from Washington, Memphis received Smart, Washington received [Tyus Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyus-jones) from Memphis, and Boston also sent [Danilo Gallinari](https://www.edgepedia.org/danilo-gallinari), Mike Muscala and the draft rights to Julian Phillips to Washington while acquiring the draft rights to Marcus Sasser and a future first-round pick from Memphis.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio) Boston won the 2024 championship, its 18th title, without him.[9](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/marcus-smart-el-orgullo-celtic-de-los-lakers-f202604-n/)
## Memphis, Washington, and injuries
Smart's 2023-24 season in Memphis was cut short by injury: he started all 20 games he played, averaging 14.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.1 steals, but missed 62 games, including 17 with a left foot sprain and the final 45 games of the season with a right finger central slip tear.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio) He then spent time with the [Washington Wizards](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-wizards) in 2024-25, a two-year stretch after Boston in which he fell out of the media spotlight and dealt with serious injury problems.[10](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/smart-si-te-llama-alguien-como-doncic-n/)
## Los Angeles Lakers, 2025-26
In July 2025 the Lakers signed Smart using the bi-annual exception, worth 10.5 million dollars over two years, after moving the non-guaranteed contracts of [Shake Milton](https://www.edgepedia.org/shake-milton) and Jordan Goodwin to create room.[10](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/smart-si-te-llama-alguien-como-doncic-n/) Smart said he signed to play with Luka Doncic and [LeBron James](https://www.edgepedia.org/lebron-james).[11](https://as.com/us/baloncesto/marcus-smart-explica-por-que-firmo-con-lakers-para-poder-jugar-con-luka-y-lebron-n/)
He arrived short of competitive rhythm but gained prominence as the season progressed under coach [JJ Redick](https://www.edgepedia.org/jj-redick), starting 54 of the 62 games he played and finishing, for many observers, as the best defender on the roster.[5](https://as.com/baloncesto/los-lakers-pierden-otra-pieza-clave-marcus-smart-se-va-f202607-n/) His 2025-26 regular season line was 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 28.5 minutes per game.[12](https://wcehoops.com/player/marcus-smart) He passed most often to LeBron James, 9.06 passes per game, and sat in the 89th percentile among league guards in steals.[13](https://www.sportiveworld.com/en/player/2979645c-dafd-4d0f-a0d0-708227ad12ed)
In the 2026 playoffs the Lakers took a 3-0 lead over Houston in the first round, lost Games 4 and 5, then closed the series in six games.[14](https://as.com/us/baloncesto/los-lakers-tienen-que-jugar-con-desesperacion-f202605-n/) • [15](https://www.nba.com/news/marcus-smart-free-agency-2026) Smart averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.7 steals in the series, repeatedly disrupting Houston's backcourt with key defensive plays.[15](https://www.nba.com/news/marcus-smart-free-agency-2026)
## Defensive reputation
Smart's value has rested on defense rather than scoring. He won the inaugural NBA Hustle Award in 2018-19 and added two more in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and he led all NBA guards in box outs (62) in 2022-23.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio) A 2025 Wharton study on a "defensive motor index" cited him, alongside [Draymond Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/draymond-green), as an example of a high-effort defender whose energy and disruption conventional defensive statistics overlook.[16](https://wsb.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/defensive-motor-index-pratik-wharton-paper-1.pdf)
## Move to Houston
On June 29, 2026 Smart declined his $5.4 million player option for 2026-27 with the Lakers, per Shams Charania of ESPN.[17](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart) After no agreement on a Lakers return was reached, he signed with Houston: 13 million dollars over two seasons, the second a player option, making him the Lakers' third confirmed departure in 24 hours after LeBron James and Luke Kennard.[5](https://as.com/baloncesto/los-lakers-pierden-otra-pieza-clave-marcus-smart-se-va-f202607-n/)
## References
1. [Marcus Smart bio, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart/bio)
2. [Marcus Smart, 2025-26 Lakers Media Guide](https://lalweb.blob.core.windows.net/public/lakers/media-relations/2025-26-Lakers-Media-Guide.pdf)
3. [Marcus Smart, Memphis Grizzlies 2024-25 Media Guide](https://s3.grizzliesapp.com/MG_2425_MediaGuide_Web_Final.pdf)
4. [Marcus Smart Biography, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/bio?id=2990992)
5. [Los Lakers pierden otra pieza clave: Marcus Smart se va, AS.com](https://as.com/baloncesto/los-lakers-pierden-otra-pieza-clave-marcus-smart-se-va-f202607-n/)
6. [Marcus Smart teams played for, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/boston-celtics/news/marcus-smart-teams-played-celtics-lakers/dc951dbef735aab99ad00a85)
7. [Los Angeles Lakers: Marcus Smart, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/lakers/team/player-pages/marcus-smart-203935)
8. [Las horas perdidas de Marcus Smart, AS.com](https://as.com/baloncesto/las-horas-perdidas-de-marcus-smart-n/)
9. [Marcus Smart, el 'orgullo celtic' de los Lakers, AS.com](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/marcus-smart-el-orgullo-celtic-de-los-lakers-f202604-n/)
10. [Smart: "Si te llama alguien como Doncic...", AS.com](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/smart-si-te-llama-alguien-como-doncic-n/)
11. [Marcus Smart explica por qué firmó con Lakers, AS.com](https://as.com/us/baloncesto/marcus-smart-explica-por-que-firmo-con-lakers-para-poder-jugar-con-luka-y-lebron-n/)
12. [Marcus Smart, NBA Percentile Profile, Basketball Savant](https://wcehoops.com/player/marcus-smart)
13. [Marcus Smart, SportiveWorld](https://www.sportiveworld.com/en/player/2979645c-dafd-4d0f-a0d0-708227ad12ed)
14. [Los Lakers tienen que jugar con 'desesperación', AS.com](https://as.com/us/baloncesto/los-lakers-tienen-que-jugar-con-desesperacion-f202605-n/)
15. [Rockets, Marcus Smart agree to 2-year deal, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/marcus-smart-free-agency-2026)
16. [Defensive Motor Index, Pratik, Wharton Sports Business](https://wsb.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/defensive-motor-index-pratik-wharton-paper-1.pdf)
17. [Marcus Smart player page, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/player/203935/marcus-smart)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › Current NBA players › Point guards*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license