For the Boston Celtics, parting ways with Marcus Smart was among the toughest offseason triggers the organization pulled, however, it didn’t create a nightmare scenario for the nine-seasoned NBA guard.
In fact, Smart might’ve been done an unintentional favor amid the abrupt and unexpected shift from Boston to Memphis.
After a nearly decade-long run with the Celtics, the front office used Smart as one of several sacrificial lambs to address an inexcusable playoff exit that stumped Boston from an NBA Finals appearance. The Celtics weren’t content with their core after falling short of the finish line yet again, therefore, a wave of changes became essential which brought Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to Boston, making for a handful of Boston departures.
And while there were no grounds to deal Smart to a preferable trading destination, especially after rumors of the 29-year-old’s noted “security” before the deal went down, the C’s didn’t exactly leave him hanging.
Here are three reasons why, in no particular order:
1. Memphis can hang with the Western Conference — it’s proven
One of the biggest cons of getting traded from Boston is being a part of a title-contending team. To walk away from that can’t be easy.
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But… in walking away, Smart’s also re-entering a like-wise environment, albeit with less pressure.
The Grizzlies have never reached the NBA Finals or the conference finals for that matter. Two years ago they fell to the Golden State Warriors in the semifinals round, and despite Ja Morant’s cockiness, Memphis hasn’t lived up to its self-created hype — although the Grizzlies can contend
Memphis has the eighth-best odds of winning the NBA Finals (+2400), per FanDuel Sportsbook, which is also fifth-best among West teams. The Grizzlies finished second in the West with 51 wins last season, and perhaps a taste of facing LeBron James — minus Dillion Brooks’ antics — will prove to help.
2. Smart’s leadership role isn’t diminished, it’s actually expanded
With Boston, Smart was never the No. 1 option, but that didn’t negate the leadership role he filled during the beginning stages of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s respective emergences into stardom.
For obvious reasons, Memphis could use a vocal leader in the locker room.
The Grizzlies are a young team that lacks experience, which showed and backfired on them last season. Their antics, while great for internet content and views, don’t translate, nor do they help Memphis’ culture.
Right out of the gate, Smart will inherit a leadership role that should go a long way for the Grizzlies — pending their willingness to listen, obviously.
“I want him to naturally just come and be who he is,” Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins explained, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “Understand where we’re at as a team, where we got to get to as a team, and how he can propel us there.”
Being just a year removed from being named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and playing in the finals, Smart has plenty of applicable credentials to make his voice plenty valuable.
3. Memphis, like Boston, will embrace Smart with open arms
It won’t take long either, but Smart will 100 percent become a fan-favorite in Memphis as he was in Boston throughout his career.
“You always want to be where you’re wanted, and another team’s trash is another team’s gold. So I’m glad to be here,” Smart said, per Weiss. “I’m glad to be on an organization that wants me and sees me (have) great value. So I’m ecstatic and I’m ready to get going.”
There aren’t many players around the league like Smart, to begin with. The night-to-night hustle that’s present from Opening Night to the final buzzer of the season, the ability to spark a contagious fuse at any given moment; that’s not easy to find, nor can it be taught to player that don’t have it.
Smart never played down to Boston’s competition, even in seasons well before the Tatum-Brown tandem was born. The hustle, grit and bulldog mentality was there since Day 1, and it’s yet to have taken a day off over the course of Smart’s 581 total career games.
Don’t count on it leaving anytime soon, regardless of the threads Smart rocks.
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