Brad Stevens: Marcus Smart almost too intense for scrimmages

Marcus Smart is lauded for his intensity and toughness on the court, which are great assets. But if there is one downside to that, it’s that Smart may be a little intense for practices.

Brad Stevens said before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday that Smart’s intensity is one of the reasons the Boston Celtics don’t do a lot of scrimmages late in the year.

Brad Stevens discussing Marcus Smart’s intensity: “That’s one of the reasons why we don’t do a lot of scrimmaging late in the year. Marcus plays like that no matter what."

— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) May 19, 2018

“That’s one of the reasons why we don’t do a lot of scrimmaging late in the year. Marcus plays like that no matter what,” Stevens said, via ESPN’s Chris Forsberg.

You can understand the reasoning; you don’t want any of your players getting injured in practice, especially the closer you get to the playoffs. Maybe all the intensity from Smart will pay off before long and result in some recognition he’s craving.