Marcus Smart is the only player from the 2014 NBA Draft class averaging 30 or more minutes on a playoff team. Smart continues to work on his perimeter shooting, the nuances of being an NBA guard and the emotional part of his game.

“I’m harder on myself than anybody can ever be on me,” Smart told The Vertical. “I’m my biggest critic besides my parents and the people that love me. I hold myself to a different level, so when I feel like I could’ve done much more or I didn’t play to that level, I can let my emotions get the best of me.

“When I use my will and determination, my emotion comes in.”

Smart lost his older brother, Todd, in 2004 and that fuels his values of brotherhood and relentlessness.

“Losing my brother and dealing with everything life has thrown at me,” Smart told The Vertical, “it taught me that I would do anything for these guys in the locker room, from the coaching staff to the trainers to the players.”

Even though the Celtics have future assets coming from the Nets, there's a belief in the locker room that they need to improve from within.

“Each and every day, I want to be more consistent,” Smart told The Vertical. “I feel I’ve always been a point guard and I feel I can see the court and make plays for others. But this is my chance to learn [the] pick-and-roll game, seeing the floor in transition.

“At the end of the day, I know what I’m capable of. I just try to want it more than the other guy that I’m playing against. It’s a key factor in the way I play, the way I get my edge.”