Since Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. emerged as All-Stars, the Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the Western Conference’s most promising and exciting teams. The young roster’s tremendous growth (before the cursed 2023-24 season) has led it to intense battles against experienced teams filled with veterans who know the weight of every match. However, in the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors (2022) and the Los Angeles Lakers (2023), the Grizzlies could not overcome because they lost the mental battle. If Memphis’s comeback campaign in the 2024-25 season succeeds, and the team makes it to the 2025 postseason, it will have a tool not available in previous playoff battles: the calming presence of a vocal, battle-tested, veteran leader in the locker room and on the court, aka Marcus Smart. “That’s what I’m here for. I’m not here to sugarcoat anything. I’m not here to baby anybody. I’m here to be a professional and teach these guys how to do the same thing. I understand what it takes,” Smart told Andscape before the 2023/24 season.
“Winning is hard,” Smart added. “Winning and trying to get to where we want to get to is even harder… You have to go out there and prove it.” SMART FITS LIKE A GLOVE Memphis traded for Marcus Smart for his leadership abilities. The former Celtics guard proved he can mentor young stars like Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the Grizzlies front office is counting on him to do the same with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. But Smart is not only a leader. He is also one of the best defenders in the league. Stably solid perimeter defense has not been a feature of the Grizzlies in the age of Morant due to Ja’s weak one-on-one defense. Memphis has a reliable rim protector, Jaren Jackson Jr., 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, who has been often tested because opposing players would easily pass the Grizzlies’ first line of defense. Now that they have 2022 DPOY Marcus Smart, the team has become more well-rounded. Memphis has a good offense built around Morant and Desmond Bane. On the other hand, the defense has Smart and Jackson Jr., who are both elite on-ball and off-ball defenders. The Grizzlies also have a higher level of accountability within the team due to the addition of Smart, who is not afraid to be vocal and harsh if it will help the team thrive in the bigger picture. Whenever Coach Taylor Jenkins needs somebody to shout and wake everybody up, Marcus will be ready to step up.
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