Marcus Smart’s insane hustle play will look familiar to Celtics fans originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
If you miss (certain parts of) the Marcus Smart Experience, the gritty guard provided a bit of nostalgia Sunday night.
With his Memphis Grizzlies leading the Los Angeles Clippers by one point with less than one minute remaining, Smart lost his handle on a drive into the lane. As Paul George reached out for the ball, Smart dove head-first on the floor to corral the ball and somehow flip it to teammate David Roddy, who converted the layup to put Memphis up by three.
If this doesn’t sum up Smart’s game in one play, we don’t know what does.
Smart was the king of “hustle plays” during his nine seasons in Boston, routinely putting his body on the line for the Celtics. Smart’s aggressive style occasionally led to head-scratching plays, but the three-time NBA Hustle Award winner was always going to give you 100 percent effort — and that clearly hasn’t changed in Memphis.
Smart finished with 17 points and seven assists to help the Grizzlies pick up a much-needed win after starting the season 1-8. The 29-year-old is averaging 13.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game through 10 contests with the Grizzlies, who acquired him as part of the three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Boston.
Celtics fans will get to see Smart up close next Sunday when Boston travels to Memphis to play the Grizzlies on Nov. 19. Tip-off for that game is set for 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.