{"id":15162,"date":"2024-12-07T08:29:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T08:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=15162"},"modified":"2024-12-07T08:29:54","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T08:29:54","slug":"breaking-what-jayson-tatum-has-planned-for-marcus-smart-in-celtics-grizzlies-duel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=15162","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: What Jayson Tatum Has Planned For Marcus Smart In Celtics-Grizzlies Duel"},"content":{"rendered":"<article id=\"post-1975711\"><!--?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ??--><!--?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ??--><!--?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ??--><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-hero__copy-upper\">\n<div class=\"article-hero__default-inner\">\n<h3 class=\"article-hero__subheading h6\">&#8216;He&#8217;ll always be a Celtic for life&#8217;<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-hero__copy-lower\">\n<div class=\"article-hero__default-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_4548,h_2558,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/fastbreak\/01jeftc98mmwg1frws1a.jpg\" alt=\"Jayson Tatum Makes Honest Marcus Smart Statement Before Grizzlies-Celtics  Game\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Marcus Smart hasn\u2019t taken the TD Garden floor since being traded, making Saturday night\u2019s Boston Celtics-Memphis Grizzlies matchup sentimental, not just for the 30-year-old veteran guard.<\/p>\n<p>Smart was injured during his initial return to Boston last season, but he still received an emotional tribute video, was honored as the night\u2019s \u201cHero Among Us\u201d and was drowned with love from Celtics fans. This time, Smart will get a chance to suit up and compete against his former teammates for the first time since sharing the floor with them in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrilled. Thrilled to see Smart tomorrow,\u201d Jayson Tatum told reporters after Friday night\u2019s win over the Milwaukee Bucks, per NBC Sports Boston\u2019s postgame coverage. \u201cAs you all know how much he means to this city, to this franchise. Ultimate Celtic. He\u2019ll always be a Celtic for life. I played with him for six years and didn\u2019t envision a time where I wouldn\u2019t be on his team so if does play tomorrow, it\u2019ll be a little weird. I\u2019ll probably go out there and tackle the (expletive) out of him or something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Grizzlies have Smart listed as questionable against the Celtics with a right ankle sprain, which could make him a game-time decision for head coach Taylor Jenkins.<\/p>\n<p>Smart, the last Celtics player to win the NBA\u2019s Defensive Player of the Year Award (2021-2022), spent nine years with Boston. The Celtics selected the Oklahoma State product sixth overall in the 2014 draft and watched Smart blossom into a pesky, hard-nosed workhorse that fans appreciated. He endured every aching step of Boston\u2019s rebuild process from the early years of then-head coach Brad Stevens to the Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker chapters.<\/p>\n<p>However, Smart couldn\u2019t stick around long enough to enjoy the fruits of a nearly decade-long stint in a Celtics uniform. Boston traded Smart in its three-team deal to land Kristaps Porzingis two offseasons ago, which helped the team capture its 18th banner. It was a bittersweet goodbye, but one Smart came to terms with.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Smart already knows he\u2019ll get a standing ovation (or a couple) along with a bunch of hugs and handshakes from the Celtics bench. Still, the now-veteran leader of the 15-8 Grizzlies is preparing for what Boston \u2014 Tatum tackles aside \u2014 will have prepared for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sure they see how good I\u2019ve been playing, and they\u2019re going to try to make sure I don\u2019t come in there and have a great game,\u201d Smart told The Commercial Appeal\u2019s Damichael Cole. \u201cIt\u2019s a big test for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smart left Boston having finished fourth all-time in steals (914), fifth all-time in 3-pointers made (911) and 11th all-time in assists (2,700), logging 581 career games in a Celtics uniform including 108 in the playoffs and one trip to the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jayson Tatum is ready to welcome Marcus Smart back to Boston with open arms and might have a plan if the ex-Celtics guard does play.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - 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