Ahead of an eventual win for his new team over his old one, Grizzlies reserve guard Marcus Smart reflected on the Celtics’ decision to trade him as part of the three-team deal that landed Boston center Kristaps Porzingis. The team went on to win the title in its first year without him.
Per Bobby Manning of CLNS Media (Twitter video link), Smart was surprisingly generous in his assessment of the transaction.
“Great trade, business-wise, just wish they would’ve went about it a little differently, letting me know,” Smart said.
The Celtics drafted the 6’3″ wing with the No. 6 pick in 2014 out of Oklahoma State. He spent his first nine NBA seasons with the team, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors on a Finals-bound 2021/22 squad.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
By besting Boston on its home floor in a 127-121 victory Saturday, the Grizzlies have broken out of a 10-year losing streak at TD Garden, notes Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian. All-Stars Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way, with Morant scoring 32 points and nabbing a near triple-double, and Jackson logging 27. With the win, Memphis improved to a 16-8 record on the year.
Rockets rookie guard Reed Sheppard is finally beginning to look at home on the hardwood for Houston, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “I think just being out there every day, just learning as much as I can,” Sheppard said. “Every game is different. There is a lot going on. So, I think I’m just learning as much as I can and enjoying it. A lot of it comes from experience.” As Feigen notes, Sheppard had began the season looking overly cautious and tentative on offense, fearful perhaps of erring on a rising playoff team with lots of wing depth. Sheppard is playing 11.8 minutes a night, connecting on a middling 32.1% of his triple tries. The team is confident that his shooting stroke will come around. “I see the game slowing down for him and understanding where his shots are going to come from, and adjusting to the physicality and size of defenders,” head coach Ime Udoka said.
Ascendant Rockets forward Amen Thompson is rounding into form as an elite defender along wing, as he relays in a new interview with Amen Thompson Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. “I view myself as one of the best defenders,” Thompson told Medina. “Obviously, I think it’s very hard to score on me. I think my presence is known on defense.” The 6’7″ wing is a big part of the reason the 15-8 Rockets boast the league’s third-best defense heading into Sunday.