Marcus Smart mastered many defensive tactics in his 7-year-long career, flopping being one of them. However, that has not been taken well by the NBA community. After facing severe backlash for taking advantage of the act on the defense line, the Texas-born finally responded to his critics.
During a recent episode of the “Run Your Race” podcast, Marcus Smart joined Theo Pinson and AJ Richardson. Among all the discussion about the NBA Draft, the Celtics and other basketball-related stuff, Smart’s flopping issue was raised. After the hosts rolled a clip, the Grizzlies guard addressed the allegation.
“That’s how I feel when I’m guarding offensive players or I see other offensive players fall. I’m like, ‘What the hell?’” Smart stated. “The only difference is I’m doing it on defense. There’s no difference. I gotta tell everybody ’cause they say, ‘You a flopper’. I’m like, ‘Listen, you’re just mad ’cause I flop better than your favorite player’. That’s it”. (After 49:38)
Smart has been a Defensive Player Of The Year, made the All-Defensive first team three times, and was a sixth-round pick in 2014. But people seem to forget that and only point out his flopping issues. So, for Marcus Smart, that needed addressing, and he did exactly that. The 30-year-old quickly picked it up during his time with the Celtics, which ended on a bad note.
Marcus Smart Opens Up About Celtics’ Championship Win
Smart was one of the pieces the Celtics used to acquire Kristaps Porzingis in 2023. Since Smart is with the Grizzlies and saw his former team finally win their 18th chip. Reflecting on it on the podcast, Smart said, “It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling. It’s definitely tough because, like I said, I was in the trenches with them. To not be able to finish what you started with those guys is definitely tough.”
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He also praised Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for their achievements with the franchise. Smart remained an integral part of the Cs system and is now showcasing his talents in Memphis.
Last season, he averaged 14.4 points from 43% shooting while distributing 4.3 assists per game. With the latest addition of Zach Edey and the return to fitness of Ja Morant, the Grizzlies would hope for a better season next year and get back into the playoff picture.
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