Marcus Smart’s finger was pointing in the wrong direction. Thanks to the power of adrenaline, it took him a possession to realize it.
As he sat in his locker following the road game at Dallas last January, no one had any idea that his season was over.
Then he read the future.
“We are going to fight,” Smart said. “We are going to fight until we can’t fight no more. That’s all you can ask for. You fight until the end.
“We understood coming into the season that things have affected our team. We understood that this might not be a year that everything is expected of us. But it’s a season to damn well get right for next year as well.
“This is chess, not checkers. We are working for that future as well. I like where we are going.”
A few days later, Smart was headed for season-ending surgery and the Grizzlies were punting the season.
Not only was Smart done. So was the chance for the Grizzlies to figure out where their new veteran guard would be a long-term fit.
Now it’s time for round two. The Grizzlies are going to get a do-over. Will they win that game of chess?
Memphis traded for Smart in the summer of 2023, spending assets to pry him away from the Boston Celtics. As he enters Year Two for the Grizzlies, he remains one of the most intriguing players on the roster.
Will Smart bring the returns everyone expected when Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman made the deal? And if Smart does, what is that going to look like?
An entire year later, those answers are still unknown.
Let’s take a look at the options Memphis might have in deploying the 30-year-old skilled defender and what success might look like.
