What Marcus Smart and his former Celtics teammates are saying about his return to TD Garden
Saturday night could be the first time Smart takes the parquet floor in an opponent's jersey.
Marcus Smart was sidelined with an injury when the Grizzlies came to TD Garden last February, so he has yet to take the parquet floor while wearing another uniform despite being traded over a year ago.
Smart is listed as questionable with an ankle sprain ahead of the Celtics’ Saturday night contest with Memphis.
Whether he plays or not, his former Celtics teammates are pumped up to see him.
“Just excited to see Marcus,” Horford said. “Besides the basketball stuff, getting to see him and how he’s doing, and getting to catch up. We’ll see if he plays.”
Smart is averaging 9.8 points and 4.5 assists off the bench this season for Memphis. He had 18 points and five assists against Sacramento Thursday night. The Grizzlies have won seven of their last eight.
“I’m sure they’ve seen how well I’ve been playing and will do everything to stop me from having a big game,” Smart said, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “This is a significant test for us.”
“It’s about getting him that win and allowing him to experience the thrill of defeating the team that traded him away,” Scotty Pippen Jr. said. “Ultimately, we want to support Marcus and go out there to get the win for him.”
Seeing Smart in another jersey will probably feel pretty strange, Jayson Tatum said. Smart played the first nine seasons of his career with the Celtics before he was dealt to Memphis in the Kristaps Porzingis trade last offseason.
“Thrilled to see Smart [on Saturday] as you all know how much he means to this city, to this franchise,” Tatum said. “The ultimate Celtic. He’ll always be a Celtic for life. I played with him for six years. I didn’t envision a time when I wouldn’t be on his team.”
“If he does play tomorrow, it will be a little weird. I’ll probably go out there and tackle the [expletive] out of him or something, but I’m excited to see him. I know the fans are going to be thrilled to have Smart back in the building. It’s going to be a special moment.”
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