When the Los Angeles Lakers signed Marcus Smart this past summer after his previous contract had been bought out, plenty of people were skeptical that he would make a difference. He was coming off a couple of injury-riddled seasons, and the sense was that he was in definite decline, especially on the defensive end.But the 32-year-old has been the Lakers' X-factor this season, not just on defense but in multiple other facets of the game. In their playoff opener on Saturday against the Houston Rockets, he scored 15 points, dished off eight assists and added two rebounds, two blocks and one steal in their 107-98 victory.With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out due to injury, Smart, as well as several of his teammates, have been asked to do more offensively to pick up the slack.

He said after Saturday's game that he's a "Swiss Army knife" because of his ability to contribute in several areas.“It’s important for me, especially without the two guys, Luka and Austin, we’re short on ballhandling and guys that can create not just for themselves but for others,” Smart said. “The team, they lean on me a lot for that, and just to be able to do it. Constantly, my coaching staff is telling me, be aggressive.

Whether it is for you or for your teammates, but continue to be aggressive.“That’s something I have to do. I haven’t always been asked to play that role. I think that is what makes me unique.

I am a Swiss Army knife, (I can) do a little bit of everything.”One area in which Smart has been invaluable is in the experience department. He has been to the conference finals five times and the NBA Finals once as a member of the Boston Celtics, and he even helped take the Celtics to Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference finals when they were short-handed just as the Lakers are right now.That year, Boston was without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in the playoffs. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were infants by NBA standards, yet the team made it to Game 7 of the East finals. Boston fell short in that game only because LeBron James, who was then a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, put on a masterclass with 35 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists while playing every single second of the contest.Now, Smart is teammates with James, and they're hoping for similar, if not better, results in this postseason for the Purple and Gold.This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Marcus Smart calls himself Lakers' 'Swiss Army knife' after Game 1