I fuckin' love Marcus Smart. I mean, I *LOVE* the guy, and also can't stand him at times. I think a lot of us here probably share that sentiment. His 1/11 from 3 nights, his no-no-no-YES! nights, his absolute tenacity and giving his all nights.
Goddamn. Years ago, a friend of mine who's a massive Lakers fan, season ticket holder, etc -- this was probably 2017? -- told me that Marcus was a bust because he'd never become more than just a poor-shooting defense-first guy.
Well, not only did Marcus fix his shot, he got to be okay enough at it that he wasn't a disaster anymore (ie shooting under 36% from the field, never mind on 3PA).
I'll always love him in green -- as I said in the other thread -- now more than ever because my 3.5 year old kid LOVES Marcus because "he has green hair" (she has no idea what's really happening on an NBA court). The first time I watched an NBA game when she was in the room and paying attention, she pointed at the hair and therefore... she loved it. She has a Marcus Smart t-shirt that she wears to preschool and I'm definitely putting it on her tomorrow for camp. She's too young to understand that he won't be on Daddy's team anymore, so I'm not even bringing it up. I'm just letting her wear her t-shirt and she can be happy with it.
Smart will *always* be the first athlete my kid and I had a connection on. That means a lot, and I loved Marcus before my kid was even born. Now, I'm just sad. I get why he was moved, but I honestly didn't think it would ever happen. I thought he'd be in green for life, get a ring, get his number retired (could still happen and probably should!), and be a fixture at Celtics games for the rest of my life.
I hope there's a way where Marcus can play at least one more season in Green.
But, fuck, has there ever been a guy who Memphis fans were going to love more? Maybe other than Z-Bo? Marcus Fuckin' Smart was made to play for the Celtics, but he's also a perfect fit for Grizz culture and that fanbase. They're going to adore him.