Lakers’ “Swiss Army Knife” Marcus Smart sets the tone for Rockets’ Kevin Durant

Marcus Smart stepped up to meet Kevin Durant three-quarters of the way across the court. The Lakers guard reached and blocked the ball. Instead of letting the lanky 7-foot Durant scoop up the loose ball, the 6-foot-3 Smart dove to secure it.

The audience at the Crypto.com Arena jumped to their feet.

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From minute one to final, Smart set the tone for the Lakers on Tuesday, scoring 25 points, draining five 3-pointers, with seven assists and five steals during the Lakers’ 101-94 Game 2 victory over the Houston Rockets. The Lakers take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series against Houston for Game 3 on Friday, when the Lakers will try to end a nine-game playoff losing streak on the road.

LeBron James, in his record-tying 19th postseason, is the Lakers’ most influential player this postseason. But even without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the team doesn’t lack leadership. The Lakers have six players who played in the NBA Finals, including Smart and center Deandre Ayton.

“Being in big moments for these guys is nothing new,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “Smart, he just played an amazing game today.”

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The playoff stage was all Smart knew when he began his career in Boston. He played four times in the Eastern Conference Finals with the Celtics and once in the NBA Finals. The season he was traded to Memphis, the Celtics won the NBA title.

Instead of celebrating Boston’s 18th championship, Smart languished amid injuries and irrelevance. He played just 54 games in two seasons with Memphis and Washington, two teams that were closer to the lottery than any home-field advantage. The Wizards bought out his contract last summer.

“I could have been out of the league, right?” He said smart. “…So, to be able to get back on this stage again, make the plays that I’m making with these guys, with this team, this organization, I’m just grateful.”

As a free agent, Smart expressed a desire to play for a team with real championship aspirations. Even though he was entering his 12th NBA season and coming off nagging injuries, the Lakers still saw Smart as an important addition. However, analyzes have painted the 2022 Defender of the Year as an effective defender and an efficient secondary attacking midfielder.

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His leadership, while unquantifiable, may be even more valuable.

Redick met Smart in San Francisco two weeks ago, when the Lakers were coming off a three-game losing streak. They were emotionally drained by the loss of their two top scorers to regular-season-ending injuries. They looked like a team without a legitimate path forward in the postseason.

Smart was nursing a right ankle contusion that kept him out of nine games. Redick still went to the veteran guard to help focus the group.

“Because he has the voice that he has, he can help build belief and trust in our group,” Redick said. “And I think he did.”

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The Lakers won their final three games of the regular season while maintaining home-court advantage in the first round over the Rockets. Smart returned in the final two games, dishing out 17 assists as the Lakers tried to keep the offense afloat without Doncic and Reaves.

Read more: The Lakers beat the Rockets in Game 2 with a new Big Three

But he scored just 11 points in the two games and was 2 of 12 from three-point range in three games since returning from the ankle injury. He doubled that number of threes made in the first half of Game 2.

“Constantly, my teammates and coaching staff tell me to be aggressive,” Smart said. “It’s either for you or your teammates, but keep being aggressive…I’m a Swiss army knife, so I do a little bit of everything.”

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Thanks to Smart’s consistent defensive effort, the Lakers stifled the Rockets in Game 1 and were equally effective in Game 2 when Durant made his series debut after missing the first game with a right knee contusion. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer had scored 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting, but committed nine turnovers in the playoffs. Three of Smart’s five steals came against Durant.