Marcus Smart wins 2021-22 NBA Hustle Award
BOSTON -- Marcus Smart made a little NBA history on Monday. The Celtics guard won the 2021-22 NBA Hustle Award, becoming the first two-time winner of the honor.
Smart previous won the Hustle Award in 2018-19. The award was first introduced for the 2016-17 NBA season.
The award is given to the player that does all the little things that don't show up in the usual box score. Celtics fans best know those as "winning plays," and Smart makes his fair share of them.
The NBA's hustle stats include deflections, loose balls, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots and box-outs.
This season, Smart ranked fifth in the NBA in loose balls recovered with 74, 10th in charges drawn with 16, and 11th in deflections with 205.
Smart is really racking up the awards this season. Last month, he was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, and last week, Smart was named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team.
