The Boston Celtics announced the winner of the Red Auerbach Award before Monday night's game ahead of the Miami Heat. The award, given to the Celtics player or coach who best exemplifies the spirit of what it means to be a Celtic through exceptional performance on and off the court, has been awarded since 2006.
This year's winner was Marcus Smart. Smart, the longest-tenured Boston Celtic, had never received the award and got a nice ovation from the crowd at the TD Garden after being named the recipient.
Smart has averaged 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game this season. He was added to the starting lineup amid the Celtics' early-season struggles and made an instant impact on the unit. As a result, he has made a career-high 56 starts this year.
Smart has brought energy and effort to the game and has been a consistent playmaker on the defensive side of the ball. He has averaged 1.8 steals per game, the sixth-most in the NBA, and consistently challenges opponents with his relentless hustle.
Smart becomes the 12th different Celtics player to win the award, joining Paul Pierce (2006, 2013), Al Jefferson (2007), Kevin Garnett (2008, 2012), Ray Allen (2009), Rajon Rondo (2010), Doc Rivers (2011), Brandon Bass (2014), Avery Bradley (2015), Isaiah Thomas (2016), Al Horford (2017), and Kyrie Irving (2018) as the previous winners.
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