Marcus Smart made the decision to leave the Boston Celtics following an important conversation with the team
The team’s dismal January schedule has left them feeling a little down. The homestand began with a crushing defeat at the hands of the Clippers, and continued with a thrilling victory over the Pelicans, a gut-check victory over the Pacers, and a disappointing defeat to the Lakers in the absence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Even if Joe Mazzulla and the players as a whole have all said things like “everyone has a bad day at work” or “this happens in an 82-game season,” it’s difficult to ignore the fact that Marcus Smart may be struggling if he were still with the Green Bay Packers.
In his homecoming game today, Smart won’t wear a suit after being sent to
The team is a little depressed because of their miserable January schedule. After suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Clippers to start the homestand, the team triumphed over the Pelicans, the Pacers with a gut-check, and the Lakers—who were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis—in a dismal match.
Though Joe Mazzulla and the players collectively have stated that “everyone has a bad day at work” and “this happens in an 82-game season,” it’s hard to deny that Marcus Smart may be having problems if he were still a member of the Green Bay Packers.
After being sent to his homecoming game today, Smart will not be wearing a suit.
It’s difficult to deny the success of the trade. The Celtics, who are 37-12 and have a top-3 offense and defense, are the greatest team in the NBA since Smart’s departure. However, it’s also easy to imagine what Smart would bring to this team right now after over ten years.
He would most certainly be a valuable cog in the rotation, somewhere around Al Horford in the pecking order, but he wouldn’t start. To his credit, Horford has accepted his position as a dependable veteran who comes off the bench, and his level-headedness has come in handy as they have traveled 82 games in pursuit of a championship. However, Smart wouldn’t be into that. He never stopped playing with a deadly love for the game, possibly a passion for danger, even if he calmed down in his final two seasons with the Celtics. Whether I like it or not, I miss that. It added a little extra zip to every game, particularly at the Garden.
Smart was the Celtic with the longest tenure between the Brad Stevens era and the present at the time of the deal. Above all, he was a mentor to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston produced a number of veterans, especially at Smart’s position, but the team didn’t reach its postseason potential and make it to the Finals in 2022 until Smart took over as the starting point guard. It took seven years to create.
Mazzulla has recently discussed the team’s feeling of “entitlement” as they navigate some boredom at Game #50. This is not to say that Smart was immune to the mid-season lassitude either. But he never appeared to take victory for granted. He eagerly awaited his opportunity in Boston and seized it. Regretfully, he will not have that chance in Memphis this year either. Seeing Smart today, though, should help his former team get out of their melancholy and serve as a reminder that these moments are not only uncommon but also fleeting.
