3 ways acquiring Marcus Smart will improve the Memphis Grizzlies

Defensive Intensity

In 2022, Marcus Smart became the first guard since Gary Payton in 1996 to win the Defensive Player of The Year Award. The trophy is traditionally reserved for elite rim protectors, but Smart’s tenacity on the perimeter was undeniable that season. Without even looking at the stats, it seemed that every time you tuned into a Celtics game you would witness Smart come up with a timely steal or force the other team into a costly turnover.

Smart’s exploits helped Boston reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010 during that year’s playoffs. Along the way, he was given the not-so-easy assignments of slowing down James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets, Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Kyle Lowry of the Miami Heat. All of these floor generals have had great individual success in orchestrating their teams’ offenses. Smart was able to greatly curtail each of them.

Next season, the Memphis Grizzlies will undoubtedly call upon Smart to be their defensive leader on the perimeter. Fortunately for Memphis, they also have the reigning Defensive Player of The Year, Jaren Jackson Jr. on the roster. He is an elite rim protector; combined with Smart’s tenacity and high defensive IQ it is very likely that Memphis have the best defense in the entire NBA next season.

During their first-round defeat at the hands of the Lakers, the Grizzlies were caught off-guard by strong performances by Austin Reaves in Game 1 and D’Angelo Russell in Game 3. If Smart were on the team during that series, he would have most likely been switched onto these players once they heated up, for the sole purpose of slowing them down and forcing them to cool off. Next year, Grizzlies fans can look forward to having a defensive aficionado on the perimeter to match the one they already possess inside the paint.