Marcus Smart becomes first two-time winner of NBA's Hustle Award originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart made NBA history Monday by becoming the first player to win the league's Hustle Award multiple times.
The Hustle Award was introduced for the 2016-17 season. Smart previously won it during the 2018-19 campaign.
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This award recognizes players who do the little things that don't often show up in traditional box score stats. We often refer to them as "winning plays." These stats include deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots and box-outs -- all of which the league tallies using its tracking data.
Among the areas where Smart shined this season include charges drawn, deflections, box outs and loose balls recovered. He ranked in the top 10 of all four categories.
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Milwaukee Bucks forward Pat Connaughton and Brooklyn Nets forward Bruce Brown finished second and third, respectively, behind Smart for this award.
Last month, Smart was named the Defensive Player of the Year Award winner. He became the first guard to win it since Gary Payton in 1995-96.
