BOSTON — Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has always emphasized remembering those who came before the current team, and Saturday night’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies allowed them to do just that.
Marcus Smart, for the first time, ever, as a member of the Grizzlies, returned to Boston’s parquet to compete against his old Celtics teammates. It’s been a long time coming for the 30-year-old, now two offseasons removed from bidding Boston farewell, and Mazzulla, who coached Smart for four seasons, needs no reminder of what his time with the organization meant to the Celtics, their fans and the city.
“I think it’s important because there’s a lot of people who’ve worked for the organization for a long time who haven’t won,” Mazzulla said pregame at TD Garden. “I’ve always said the people who’ve moved the Celtics forward is what makes this job what it is. Even before I got here, he just put his mark on the city, really. The way the fans respond to him. The way his teammates care about him and just how hard he plays every night. So, to me, it’s a chance to thank him for that and the people that have come before us.”
Smart spent nine seasons with the Celtics after getting selected sixth overall in the 2014 NBA draft. It didn’t take too long after draft night for Smart to establish himself as a fan favorite in Boston. He played every game as if it was his last, challenged the box score with floor dives and health-risking hustle plays, and never complained along the way.
Boston was still rebuilding once Smart arrived. However, the Oklahoma State product embraced Celtics culture throughout each of the 581 games played with the team. Smart’s blue-collared attitude earned him the NBA’s 2022 Defensive Player of the Year honor, making him the first Celtic to win since Kevin Garnett (2008) — and the first guard since Gary Payton (1996).
Still, all good things come to an end, and Smart came face-to-face with that reality two offseasons ago once the Celtics traded their longtime heart and soul to the Grizzlies in part of a three-team trade to bring Kristaps Porzingis to Boston. Of course, the swap was a massive win and arguably the best pulled off by Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, yet it excluded Smart from Boston’s long-awaited victory lap after capturing Banner 18 in June.
Smart is now tasked with being the veteran source of guidance for a Grizzlies team bouncing back from a toss-away campaign last season — Memphis finished 13th in the Western Conference at 27-55. So far, the Grizzlies have a solid job of bouncing back, entering Saturday’s trip to Boston as the No. 4 seed in the West (15-8) and winners in seven of their last eight games played.
