Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

It seems unfair to suggest that, after an offseason in which the Boston Celtics handed out the richest free-agent contract in team history, the player most important to their overall success might be a reserve guard on a rookie deal.

But if the Celtics truly intend to take a leap forward this season and emerge as a legitimate contender to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, third-year point guard Marcus Smart might be more important than his All-Star-caliber teammates Isaiah Thomas and newcomer Al Horford.

This notion is not lost on Smart, who is aware of the buzz he has generated. But in his jovial and relaxed Texas-boy demeanor, Smart, 22, shrugged off the suggestion that those sorts of expectations might weigh on him.

“I feel it, but I don’t feel it as pressure,” he said. “It’s a challenge. And, as an athlete, this is what you live for.”

ESPN Boston – Marcus Smart could be the Celtics’ x factor

Marcus Smart’s first two years in Boston felt akin to watching the growth of an infant as s/he learns to walk. Marcus Smart and babies… sorry for the strange analogy and possibly the bizarre picture you now have in your head, but now that some of my friends have kids, this feels extremely relevant for me. My one friend and his wife have a one-year old and they live in LA, so I’ve only seen the kid three times. Last time I saw him, he had all the energy in the world, but just couldn’t walk. He’d prop himself up, knew exactly what he wanted and what walking would do towards living a far more enjoyable, adventurous life, but then he’d fall hard on his ass.

Watching my friends’ kid try to walk is like watching Marcus Smart try to put it all together and become the best version of his basketball self– a perennial all-star guard and, perhaps, a not-so-poor man’s Russell Westbrook. Let me throw some numbers your way:

Player 1:

Year 1: 7.8 ppg, 3.7 reb, 1 stl, 1.1 ast, 45% fg, 30% 3fg

Year 2: 12 ppg, 5.6 reb, 1.6 st, 2.4 ast, 47% fg, 38% 3fg

Player 2: (played only 8 mpg in year one, so we’ll do year 2 and year 3)

Year 2: 8.6 ppg, 4 reb, 1 stl, 1.4 apg, 46% fg, 38% 3fg

Year 3: 13 ppg, 4.9 reb, 1.9 stl, 2.9 apg, 39% fg, 28% 3fg

Player 3:

Year 1: 7.8 ppg, 3.3 reb, 1.5 stl, 3.1 ast, 36% fg, 33% 3fg

Year 2: 9.1 ppg, 4.2 reb, 1.5 stl, 3 ast, 35% fg, 25% 3fg

Three players with fairly similar, modest, but improving numbers through two seasons of meaningful minutes in the NBA. Player three is Marcus Smart, so we can only go so far as to project what year three might look like. The other two guys? They became all-stars the next season. Take a look:

Year 3 Paul George: 17.4 ppg, 7.6 reb, 1.8 stl, 4.1 ast, 42% fg, 36% 3fg (all-star)

Year 4 Jimmy Butler: 20 ppg, 5.8 reb, 1.9 stl, 2.6 ast, 46% fg, 38% 3fg (all-star)

It may only be fair to temper Smart’s offensive numbers in comparison to the above years from George and Butler, since they were being counted on to provide a bit more offensive punch than Smart may be asked to deliver, but their obvious development also led to more of that usage on the offensive end– it’s what their teams needed to be successful.

If Marcus develops the way computer systems like CARMELO and like players before him, this could be the year when we begin to think of Smart as a perennial all-star, and franchise cornerstone.

On page 2, call this Jaylen Brown’s doctoral program

“I feel like I’m a little ahead of the other rookies, and I’m supposed to be. I was drafted so high, there’s a lot of education on me,” he said. “I have to understand the game, understand the team and try to make a difference.

“We have an iPad which has the different actions and stuff, and I was able to study and watch film on all of the different sets that we run, just so that there wouldn’t be any drop-off coming in,” Brown added. “I was able to study quite a bit before we got here, looking at all of the different actions that we ran today.”

…

“You absorb a lot, just being in the same gym as them,” he said. “You watch how they move, how they interact, watching the little things. I can learn a lot from him defensively and offensively as well. Paying attention to those veteran guys will help me a lot.

“Pace, size, speed, athleticism. Right away the speed is what you notice,” Brown added. “Right off the bat, a lot of guys you can tell that they’ve played eight, nine, 10 years in the league. You see it in the way they move and interact. . . . Probably twice as much time. It’s just that learning curve. Everybody plays the game differently, and I’m just trying to speed up my learning curve. I know it’s going to be a big adjustment, and it’s going to take time.”

Boston Herald – For rookie Jaylen Brown, it’s like he never left school

Too cerebral for his own good. That was one of the knocks on Jaylen Brown in the pre-draft process. I happen to think that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Brown is an athletic freak with an NBA body, who through post-draft quotes and summer league play showed that he plays with a high level of intensity. If you add intelligence to that mix, what, exactly, is the problem?

Brown and the Celtics have the luxury of starting slow. While the wing depth on the roster isn’t a strength, there are enough NBA bodies (Jonas Jerebko, Gerald Green) to hold Brown back if he isn’t ready to contribute right away. If Brown’s intelligence allows him to grasp NBA concepts more readily, however, especially on the defensive end, it would be a surprise not to see him earn meaningful minutes as the season progresses.

And finally, Isaiah Thomas used some sketchy recruiting tactics

Thomas hinted that Horford started asking him about what it’s like to play in Boston when the two crossed paths at All-Star weekend in Toronto. Once Horford signed, Thomas joked that he deserved a recruiter’s fee for gushing about Boston.

And lying about the weather.

“When we were recruiting him, I was like, ‘It’s sunny all the time!'” Thomas joked.

ESPN Boston – Al Horford on Boston Celtics: ‘It feels right to be here’ 

Dammit, Isaiah. I’m bracing myself for the headline in mid February: With third blizzard of season shutting down the city, Horford demands a trade. 

The rest of the links: 

Herald: Avery Bradley ready to make a loud impact on Celtics offense  |  Jae Crowder happy to tackle new year without foot injury

CSNNE – Avery Bradley knows the risks of his all-out brand of defense  |  Al Horford believes Boston Celtics give him best chance at ‘ultimate goal’ of NBA championship