Former Celtics guard to miss third straight game due to injury
Marcus Smart is in high demand to open the season in Memphis, where starting point guard Ja Morant is serving a 25-game ban. However, the former Celtics guard is still nursing an abdominal issue that will keep him out of his third preseason game on Thursday.
Smart will sit out the game against the Hawks, according to Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, who told Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal on Wednesday.
“He did a little bit more on the court today,” Jenkins explained. “The pain is starting to fade a little bit. It’s obviously vital to get him out there, but we don’t want to jeopardize his health and all that, so we’ll just see what happens over the next few days.”
Memphis has two more preseason games remaining after Thursday’s contest before the team’s regular season opener on October 25th against the Pelicans. The team paid a heavy price for Smart this past offseason, giving up two first-round picks and Tyus Jones to acquire the veteran guard in a three-team deal with Boston and Washington. The Celtics acquired Kristaps Porzingis in the deal while also giving up Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala for salary matching purposes.
Smart is expected to start in the backcourt alongside Desmond Bane but durability is one of the things that likely made Smart expendable in Boston’s eye. He has played over 70 games in just three of his NBA seasons and is prone to injury at times due to his physical style. Meshing with his new teammates may be a challenge with the limited reps he’s getting during the preseason. Jenkins was insistent with reporters that Smart has been engaged in practices though as he tries to impact his younger teammates.
“It’s been great,” Smart told reporters at Grizzlies media day. “I’ve been talking defense in there with those guys, but you realize right away that this is a group of guys that are hungry. They want to win and are trying to get better. They’re asking me questions; we’re laughing and joking, but we’re excited.”
