The second, and reportedly successful, attempt of the Washington Wizards trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics had a major impact Wednesday night on one of the Warriors’ biggest rivals.
The Memphis Grizzlies entered the fray, sending backup point guard Tyus Jones to the Wizards, who is expected to back up Chris Paul in D.C. or step into a starting role if Paul is moved. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski then reported, citing sources, that the Grizzlies are acquiring Marcus Smart from the Celtics.
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Smart, since he entered the league nine years ago, has been a constant heartbeat for Boston. He plays defense in the same sense that the city of Boston exists. Dive, fight and even flop, Smart’s only objective is winning. If there was a second city Smart could represent, it’s Memphis.
The 29-year-old upon his arrival will be an aura of Grit and Grind 2.0 for the Grizzlies. Memphis’ talented but oftentimes immature young squad needed a veteran winner and they found one in Smart.
Jones has been a fantastic backup point guard to Ja Morant the past four seasons, and is coming off a career year. The trusted orchestrator of an offense averaged a career-high 10.3 points and 5.2 assists per game and shot 37.1 percent from 3-point range, one season after making 39 percent of his deep shots. In 22 starts last season, Jones put up 16.4 points, 8.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds a night, while shooting 41.5 percent beyond the arc.
His and Smart’s playing styles differ. Smart’s 11.5 points per game last season was his lowest mark since the 2018-19 season and he isn’t as strong of a shooting presence, making 33.6 percent of his threes. But Smart checks multiple boxes and gives the Grizzlies a defensive duo that should cause fits for a whole lot of teams.
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Morant is suspended for the first 25 games of the year, and though Smart’s scoring can’t rival that of the Grizzlies’ star point guard, his energy will. And Smart also is coming off a season where he averaged a career-best 6.3 assists per game. Smart’s assist averages have increased each of the last four seasons.
Memphis made it clear after its first-round playoff upset loss to the Los Angeles Lakers that Dillon Brooks’ bags will be packed for a new destination and the Grizzlies won’t be bringing him back. Yes, Smart can be erratic like Brooks on offense. He’s a more valuable version of the to-be former Grizzlies wing.
Likewise on defense.
Brooks tries his best to impersonate where Smart thrives most and impacts games to the greatest degree. Smart is more versatile and more effective defensively than Brooks. He has produced a positive defensive box plus/minus in all nine years of his career. Brooks’ defensive box plus/minus was a minus-0.5 last season and has been in the minus all six years of his career.
What Brooks and Smart have the most in common is wearing the hat that reads, “Hated By Warriors Fans.” The Grizzlies have the perfect new player to be a villain when he plays against Golden State. It’s like Brooks is handing the baton to Smart, the anchor of a relay team. Really, he already was added to the list two years ago.
Steve Kerr didn’t hesitate in saying Smart performed a “dangerous play” diving at Steph Curry during a loose ball in March of the 2021-22 regular season. Curry sustained a foot injury during the incident, forcing him to miss the final 12 games of the regular season. Kerr also has shown his fandom for Smart in the past. The Warriors coach ahead of their matchup with the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals called Smart the “guard version of Draymond [Green]" for how he can defend all five positions.
Hate him or love, possibly a bit of both, Smart is pairing up with Jaren Jackson Jr. in Memphis, giving the Grizzlies the last two NBA Defensive Players of the Year. Smart took the award home in the 2021-22 season, a year in which he averaged 1.7 steals and was worth 3.7 defensive win shares. Jackson has led basketball in blocks per game each of the last two seasons, including a career-high 3.0 last year, and was worth 3.8 defensive win shares.
Since Morant was taken with the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft, the Grizzlies rocketed to a team on the rise but have been crashing to concerning levels, falling short in numerous ways. Smart is under contract for the next three seasons, and on a deal that won’t put a dent in the Grizzlies' future. He helps in the now, but isn’t a rental.
Smart fills multiple areas of need in a single move for a team that needed change, and only will add fire to the first time the Warriors stare down the Grizzlies at half-court.