The need for Marcus Smart in Memphis

The NBA seemingly doesn’t care much about Marcus Smart coming to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Well…maybe that’s a bit of an over-exaggeration. But look at any oddsmaker’s prognostications. Check out the headlines surrounding the approaching start of the preseason process. The attention is elsewhere…as is the odds on others being better than the Grizzlies in the upcoming 2023-2024 season. Ja Morant’s issues surely limit Memphis’ ceiling in their eyes. Combining that with the massive moves some made (Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns), will make (Portland Trail Blazers to move on from Damian Lillard more than likely), or even just being a functional franchise finally (a strong offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers), surely means that someone has to tumble.

The Grizzlies fit that bill…to those who don’t see what Memphis really needed this offseason.

Sure, Memphis WANTED a bigger wing to compliment their “Big Three” of a phenomenal offensive backcourt pairing (Ja Morant and Desmond Bane) alongside their modern defensively-dominant big (Jaren Jackson Jr.). Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby wound up being varying degrees of pipe dreams – never actually available, or with a cost so high the Grizzlies front office never would’ve met the demand. The search for such a versatile forward led to pining for the likes of Dorian Finney-Smith as an “answer” to the question.

And yet, the answer was Marcus Smart. While that reality is a fun one, it isn’t an ideal one. Nor is it as splashy as another superstar on the move.

So Memphis’ major first foray in to acting like an NBA Finals contender has gone largely understated. Because he’s not what the Grizzlies “wanted” – or at least what they should have wanted.

That’s a mistake.

For Marcus Smart, simply by being a different “4th Horseman” of the Grizzlies march to greater postseason success than Dillon Brooks, will improve the Memphis offense.

Brooks’ career-worst offensive season, accentuated below by Cleaning the Glass, dragged the Grizzlies down on that end of the floor in a variety of ways.

He could not be depended on to convert shots, even in spaces in the midrange where he had thrived in the past. That poor of shot making alongside above average for NBA wings usage (in fairness to Dillon, lower usage than the past for him) meant dead in the water possessions that only made Memphis’ 25th in the NBA halfcourt offense weaker.

Compare that with what Marcus Smart did in Boston – admittedly alongside elite offensive talent that won’t be with him in Memphis.

If you’re hoping for Smart to check the “three and D” box, he won’t be much of a threat to make you feel as if Marcus’ presence will be a present to the Grizzlies offense. But it’s more about Smart now being able to step aside as a true point guard – at least once Morant returns – and be a secondary facilitator, rather than a primary one. And even if he simply has a repeat of last season’s numbers, he will be far better than what Brooks was.

By simply not being Dillon Brooks, Smart offensively will make Memphis better. He has the dribbling skill, the ability to read and react, in a way that Dillon cannot have because of what Smart was asked to be in Boston. But beyond that, his intangibles and willingness to be the prototypical “dog” that so many aspire to being in terms of tenacity and leadership are really where Smart’s presence will be felt.

Boston fans mourned the end of the Marcus Smart Era when the trade occurred with Memphis and Washington this offseason, not because of the three point shooting he provides. Or even because his talent as a basketball player is irreplaceable – it’s fair to say Derrick White perhaps does just as well the things Marcus Smart does, if not better.

They were upset to see a leader leave who made both the franchise and city better by his actions and the way he helped lead the team through their young star’s formative years.

Sound like something Memphis, the exception to the rule in terms of young teams having success in recent seasons, should be interested in?

The Grizzlies already have the talent. What is needed now is the maturity and wisdom that only experience and attitude can provide. Ja Morant, when locked in and not suspended/messing around on social media or out late night, is an MVP-caliber talent. Jaren Jackson Jr. could be an All-NBA player given his two-way potential, and Desmond Bane may make an All-Star Game or two in his career starting this season. They do not need another star to come shine brightly next to those guys, and a perfect compliment in terms of size and positional possibilities was always a stretch.

Perhaps that’s what was wanted. But what was needed was someone willing to be that guide to what it will take to be a true contender. To have the mental toughness to prioritize effort and attitude in the name of the team above all else. And of all the potential names that were filtered through the trade machine, while Marcus Smart may not be that perfect fit, he is exactly what this moment in Memphis Grizzlies history demands.

The page has turned. It’s time for the Grizzlies, NBA boys up to now, to become men. To step to the challenge of expectation and not shy away. To realize what they can be not in the fall and winter, but in the spring. They’re not content with simply being a top-5 regular season team. They want more.

And with that in mind, they need Marcus Smart. If the NBA doesn’t see it now, they will soon enough.