According to Farbod Esnaashari of Sports Illustrated on Friday, Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart of Flower Mound, Texas will be out long term with a finger injury. He is expected to be out a minimum of six weeks after rupturing a joint in his ring finger in the Grizzlies’s 120-103 upset win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
It was a strong performance for Smart, as he had 23 points for the Grizzlies in only 21 minutes. So far in 2023-24, in his first season since being traded to Memphis from the Boston Celtics, Smart is averaging 14.5 points per game, 4.3 assists per game, 2.7 rebounds per game, 2.1 steals per game, and has a field goal percentage of .430, free throw percentage of .768, and three-point percentage of .313.
Smart’s best game with the Grizzlies this season came on January 5 in a 127-113 Memphis win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He scored a season-high 29 points. It was also the final game for Ja Morant this season, as he tore his labrum during a training session on January 6, and is out for the season.
The loss of Smart will hurt the Grizzlies significantly defensively. Smart was the defensive player of the year while with the Celtics in 2021-22. The honour was noteworthy because Smart only became the sixth guard in NBA history to win the award.
It has simply been a disastrous season for Memphis. They have a record of 14 wins and 25 losses, and are the third worst team in the Western Conference. Only the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs are worse.
