Celtics Teammates Give Marcus Smart A New Nickname
BOSTON (CBS) -- Marcus Smart takes a beating on the court, but he always gets back up. Often times, he bounces back a lot quicker than people expect.
That has earned him a new nickname among his Celtics teammates, one that will have comic book fans nodding in approval.
"In here, they actually call me 'Wolverine' because of the way my body can adapt and adjust to injuries, and come back earlier than normal," Smart told Celtics.com ahead of Tuesday's game against the Hornets in Charlotte. "I heal very quickly. The injuries they see are just bizarre, and they think I should be out for a while. Then they're like 'Yo, how are you healing this fast and what is going on.' So I'm gonna have to go by Wolverine."
Wolverine, a popular X-Men character, has a healing factor that makes him pretty unstoppable. Smart's healing factor isn't as advanced as the clawed super hero's, but it's pretty impressive.
Smart has missed time throughout his six-year NBA career, but that's the product of his playing style. He isn't afraid of contact, whether he's giving it or taking it, and he doesn't back down from any fight. It doesn't matter who Brad Stevens tells him to defend on a nightly basis, Smart is going to make their lives a living hell -- even if it means he takes a beating from a much bigger player.
The pesky defender played in a career-high 80 games last season, but he won't be matching that total this year. Smart missed three weeks with an illness that led to a nasty infection in both of his eyes, an infection that had doctors worried that Smart would lose his vision. Smart missed eight games during the ordeal, spending much of his time in a dark room.
But he's now healed up and back to raising havoc on the floor. While he's a fan of his new nickname, Smart made it clear that he wants to be known as an all-around great player -- not just a great healer.
"A playmaker," he said. "I'm a basketball player. I can do everything; I can shoot, I can pass the ball, I can dribble, I can play the 1, the 2, the 3, the 4, and the 5. For me, it's just making myself so versatile that it's hard to keep me off the court. And of course, being the best defender I can be. I think I can be one of the best defenders that this league has ever seen and really make that impact on that end. There aren't a lot of guys who can do that, and I want to be one of those guys."
Heading into Tuesday's game, Smart was averaging a career-high 11.5 points per game off 38 percent shooting to go with 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game for Boston.
