Jaylen Brown said seeing Marcus Smart in another jersey was ‘weird’ but great
"Marcus is a family member at this point."
Marcus Smart received a warm welcome from the TD Garden crowd when he checked into the game for the first time as an opposing player Sunday night.
The green hair dye and green Celtics jersey were gone, replaced by a shorter haircut in his natural color and the Grizzlies’ Beale Street Blue threads.
Jaylen Brown admitted that it was a little strange seeing Smart in another uniform after the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year spent his first nine seasons with the Celtics.
But, it was nice to see Smart back in Boston, he said.
“It was weird, but it was great,” Brown said. “Marcus is a family member at this point. So, being able to see him and congratulate him on starting his family, etc., stuff off the court, is amazing so all that stuff is good. It was definitely good to see him.”
Smart came off the bench for the Grizzlies, who stuck with Ja Morant and Desmond Bane as their starting backcourt. He went 1-for-11 from the field. His only made basket was a 3-pointer. He had as many turnovers [2] as assists. It was a rough night for the longtime former Celtic.
But, the impact that Smart made during his time here hasn’t been lost on Joe Mazzulla. Last year, after the Celtics won the title, he said that the championship was about more than just the players on the current roster.
“I meant that,” Mazzulla said before the game. “I think it’s important because there’s a lot of people who have worked for the organization for a long time who haven’t won. I’ve always said that the people who move the Celtics forward are 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,” Mazzulla added. “Just how hard he plays every night. To me, it’s a chance to thank him for that and the people who have come before us.”
Smart, who was traded to the Grizzlies in the deal that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston, did not play when the Grizzlies came to TD Garden last year.
Payton Pritchard said he enjoyed getting to play against Smart this time.
“It felt good. It was good to see him out there. We didn’t get to play against him last year. We had a lot of good memories with Smart here. He’s loved in Boston and for a good reason so it was definitely nice to see him out there.”
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