Main recruit of the offseason on the Memphis side, Marcus Smart arrived from Boston with his reputation as a tough player, an outstanding defender but also a locker room executive. His experience and leadership should take these talented Grizzlies to the next level.
A little more than three weeks after the start of the regular season, there are few positive points, and Memphis is really in trouble, in last place in the Western Conference.
The situation is delicate and unexpected for a team which spent almost the entire last season on the podium of its conference. It is also in these moments that the leadership side of Marcus Smart must express itself. The 29-year-old guard, who injured his ankle against the Clippers, is therefore working to remind his family to remain humble, in victory as in defeat, in order to stay the course and continue to work to advance this group.
“We control what we can control. Coming in, we knew we would be at a bit of a disadvantage. Then things started to go wrong for us. That’s life ” ancient Celtic philosopher. “Everything will never be perfect. There are things that happen. You just have to get through it and find a solution. For us, there will be ups and downs. We cannot be too optimistic, nor too pessimistic. We control what we can control, that is to say we come and work with what we have.”
The latest examples from Miami and Boston
Despite the current situation, Marcus Smart is not the type to give up. His Grizzlies will recover, with the return of Ja Morant within a good month, then the hoped-for return of Brandon Clarke in the second part of the season. This will then be an opportunity to ramp up in preparation for the postseason and fight for a spot in the final Top 8. For now, Marcus Smart has arguments to legitimize this scenario.
“Here’s how I look at it, when I was on the Celtics, we made the Finals in 2022 when we were one game short of breaking even halfway through the season. Last season, the Heat reached the Finals after making the Play-in. They lost the first game of that tournament, then entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, and they beat every team in the East to reach the Finals. Things like this can happen. We are at the start of the season and we have time. When I was on the Celtics and we were halfway through the season, time was very limited. It was the same in Miami. Time was very limited. We have enough time to resolve the problem. We must continue. As was the case against the Clippers. This match shows what can happen if we continue to move forward and try to find solutions.”
Negotiate the return of Ja Morant well
Of course, Marcus Smart also knows that Memphis’ salvation will largely depend on the return of Ja Morant and the boost that this could possibly give to the rest of the team to finish the season on a better note. Suffice to say that we will also have to take care of the mentality of the man who has been the undisputed leader of the team since his arrival in the NBA. And on this side for the moment, things are not going too bad!
“I just tell him that everything is fine, so that he doesn’t feel like he’s let the others down or that no one wants him anymore… So that he doesn’t think that we don’t understand him or that we don’t understand what he’s going through. We know all that. We just want him to know that we are here for him and that we will continue to play and work until he comes back. Then, when he comes back, we’ll be racing.”
Just like his coach, Taylor Jenkins, who recently highlighted the leader’s good behavior in recent weeks. the former Celtics praised Ja Morant’s attitude behind the scenes since the start of the season.
” He is always there. He does everything he can do. It is accessible. Given his situation, he is there. He talks constantly. He makes sure to be with the other players. He asks questions and learns. He also teaches everyone else. There are a lot of new people who don’t understand how things work in the organization. Being able to count on someone like Ja, who has been here and knows everything, helped us a little. He’s been great in building that relationship.”
| Marcus Smart | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2014-15 | BOS | 67 | 27 | 36.7 | 33.5 | 64.6 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 7.8 |
| 2015-16 | BOS | 61 | 27 | 34.8 | 25.3 | 77.7 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 9.2 |
| 2016-17 | BOS | 79 | 30 | 35.9 | 28.3 | 81.2 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 10.6 |
| 2017-18 | BOS | 54 | 30 | 36.7 | 30.1 | 72.9 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 10.2 |
| 2018-19 | BOS | 80 | 28 | 42.2 | 36.4 | 80.6 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 8.9 |
| 2019-20 | BOS | 60 | 32 | 37.5 | 34.7 | 83.6 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 12.9 |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 48 | 33 | 39.8 | 33.0 | 79.0 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 13.1 |
| 2021-22 | BOS | 71 | 32 | 41.8 | 33.1 | 79.3 | 0.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 5.9 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 12.1 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 61 | 32 | 41.5 | 33.6 | 74.6 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 6.3 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 11.5 |
| 2023-24 | SAME | 11 | 30 | 42.9 | 29.5 | 81.0 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 12.5 |
| Total | 592 | 30 | 38.7 | 32.3 | 77.7 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 10.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
