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3 ways acquiring Marcus Smart will improve the Memphis Grizzlies

By Thomas J. Brown

Nov 7, 2022; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) shoots for three as Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) defends during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2022; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) shoots for three as Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) defends during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

Playoff Experience

The Memphis Grizzlies have qualified for the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. However, in spite of being the 2nd seed in the Western Conference in the last two postseasons, they have only won one playoff series. Last December, a member of their roster notoriously uttered the words “I’m fine in the West,” indicating that the team was going to waltz into the NBA Finals uninterrupted. Those words turned out to backfire in a very big way.

In adding Marcus Smart to the roster, the Grizzlies are picking up a battle-tested veteran who has been deeper in the playoffs than anyone else on the team. He has advanced to the Conference Finals five times in his career and competed in the NBA Finals once. He not only knows what it takes to get to the playoffs, he understands the grit and determination it takes to finish off a team in an elimination game that is fighting to keep their season alive.

Last season, the Grizzlies seemed to get distracted by Dillon Brooks’ comments about LeBron James, and there was still a lingering feeling of a lack of continuity surrounding Ja Morant’s return from a suspension. Smart knows that distractions like these will doom a team to failure; in order to reach the promised land teams must not engage in any unnecessary shenanigans. In the playoffs, the teams that are focused on executing their game plan on both sides of the ball are the ones that win.

The Memphis Grizzlies are a team that is talented enough to reach the NBA Finals. They will have to play the first 25 games of next season without their best player; they are already in an uphill battle.

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Luckily for them, they just acquired Marcus Smart, a battle-tested veteran who can provide a spark on both ends of the court while also being a calming voice in the locker room. Making it out of the Wild Wild West certainly won’t be easy next season, but the move to acquire Marcus Smart just increased the Grizzlies’ chances exponentially.

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