The Celtics have faced the Grizzlies twice already since Marcus Smart was traded to Memphis but have yet to go head-to-head against their former teammate. That should change on Saturday night as the point guard is poised to make his debut as a visitor at TD Garden. Smart is officially listed as questionable for the matchup with a right ankle injury but scored 18 points despite the injury on Thursday night in a home win for Memphis over the Sacramento Kings.
Jayson Tatum was one of Smart’s longest tenured teammates in Boston having played the first six seasons of his career with the veteran before he was dealt away to Memphis in a three-team trade back in June 2023. The All-Star forward tried to put his appreciation for Smart in perspective when speaking about the looming matchup after Friday’s win over the Bucks.
“I’m thrilled to see Smart tomorrow as you all know how much he means to this city, to this franchise,” Tatum said. “Ultimate Celtic, he’ll always be a Celtic for life. I had played with him for six years; I didn’t envision a time where I wouldn’t be on his team.”
Tatum will likely see some defensive coverage from Smart if he is cleared physically to see the floor and admits that will be a bizarre situation for him.
“If he does play tomorrow, it’ll be a little weird, but I’ll probably go out there and tackle the s*** out of him or something,” Tatum joked. “But I’m excited to see him. I know the fans are gonna be thrilled to have Smart back in the building. So, it’s gonna be a special moment.”
Al Horford also spent six years playing alongside Smart in Boston and is eager to catch up with the seasoned veteran.
“Yeah, just excited, just excited to see Marcus,” Horford said. “Besides the basketball stuff, it’s just getting to see him, see how he’s doing, you know, getting to catch up and we’ll see if he plays.”
The Grizzlies will come into Boston as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning eight of their last 10 games. With Boston playing their fifth game in seven nights, Smart is expecting plenty of attention from his former teammates in the matchup.
“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 told the Memphis Commercial Appeal Thursday. “This is a significant test for us.”
The Celtics and Grizzlies tip off at 8 p.m. on Saturday night at TD Garden
