"Love the way I guard Giannis": Marcus Smart on his toughest assignments, gelling with Grizzlies, Ja Morant and more (Exclusive)

As he left the arena with a walking boot on his left foot, Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart maintained a stoic and determined expression.

He has encouraged his new teammates all season long about showing resiliency during Memphis’ early-season adversity. With the Grizzlies also nursing key absences to Ja Morant (suspension), Steven Adams (right knee) and Brandon Clarke (left Achilles tendon), Smart faces a new challenge.

After Smart missed the second half of the Grizzlies’ 134-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday with a sprained left ankle, Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said that Smart will be reevaluated. That’s the last thing the Grizzlies needed while laboring with the Western Conference’s worst-record (2-10).

During an extensive interview with Sportskeeda earlier that day, Smart exuded both optimism and reasoned perspective about the team’s early losses and injuries.

“That’s my motto with these guys: ‘Control what you can control,’” Smart said. “As a young guy and as a young team, you try to control every little thing and you want everything to go perfectly. Unfortunately, that’s not how life and the whole world works.”

Marcus Smart interview (Exclusive)

Smart spoke to Sportskeeda about numerous topics, including his support for Morant and his involvement with the team while serving his suspension for flashing a gun on an Instagram Live video on two different occasions last season. Smart also compared Desmond Bane’s scoring potential to his former Celtics teammates (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown), his toughest defensive assignments and his optimism the Grizzlies will overcome being ranked last in the Western Conference.

Editors’ note: The following 1-on-1 conversation has been edited and condensed.

How have you managed the early ups-and-downs with the losses and absences (Morant, Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke)?

Smart: “Control what you can control. Coming in, we knew we would be at a little bit of a disadvantage. Then things started spiraling for us. That’s life. It’s never going to be perfect. Things happen. You just have to figure it out and find a way. For us, there are going to be ups and there are going to be downs. We can’t get too high and we can’t get too low on them. So we control what we can control – that’s coming in here every day and working with we’ve got.”

[Grizzlies coach] Taylor [Jenkins] praised you for how you’re doing that. What do you lean on to get through tough times?

Smart: (laughs). “Yeah, it’s a lot. It’s happened in my life where I had a lot of downs. It could’ve brought certain people down. But I’ve been blessed enough to be able to strive through it. I thank God through it all because that’s how I’m able to get through. When times get hard for me, I just pray. It allows me to see things clearer and get that even keel where everything is going to be okay.”

Having been a part of winning teams before with the Celtics, how are you helping to mitigate the dreariness that comes with losing games?

Smart: “That’s my motto with these guys: ‘Control what you can control.’ As a young guy and as a young team, you try to control every little thing and you want everything to go perfectly. Unfortunately, that’s not how life and the whole world works. It’s about making sure they understand that it’s okay that you didn’t make your shot, but keep shooting and keep doing what you’re supposed to do to prepare for when that shot comes again, to knock it down. That’s it for this team, especially with a young team. You have to be able to build that confidence in them. Confidence is a big thing with a young team. If the confidence gets down, it makes everything tougher for you. It’s about being able to stay in the moment and understand that there are going to be some good ones and there are going to be some bad ones.”

Taylor said you oversaw some team dinners. What were the highlights?

Smart: “That everybody was there. It’s a new group. We’re asking things from certain people and asking guys to do things differently than they’re used to or didn’t think they’d have to do this early [with the injuries]. So it’s about building that chemistry and getting to know one another off the court so you can understand them a little bit better on the court.”

How much have you gotten do to that with Ja, even though he’s not playing yet?

Smart: “He’s always around. He’s doing everything that he can that he’s able to do. He’s accessible. With his circumstances, he’s here. He’s constantly talking. He’s making sure he’s around the guys. He’s asking questions and he’s learning. He’s also teaching everybody else. There are a lot of new guys here who don’t understand how things work here in the organization. Being able to have somebody like Ja who has been here and understands it, he has helped us out a little bit. He’s been great with building that relationship.”

What have been the questions he’s had for you, and what are the questions you’ve had for him?

Smart: “Just the defense. ‘How are you guarding things here? How are you making things easier for certain guys on certain possessions?’ For me, ‘Where do guys like the ball? Where do guys like their spots? Who likes to do what? When you come back, what do you like to do most?’ It’s about building that early chemistry before he comes back on the court. So when he comes, we can figure it out.”

I’m paraphrasing. But in another interview, you essentially knocked down the narrative that you’re going to do need to babysit Ja because of his suspension related to last season. What would you say your actual role has been with trying to help him?

Smart: “I’m just being me and being who I am. The person that I am is the basketball player that I am. I demand a lot from myself, and I demand a lot from the team. I demand that we can control we can control. That’s effort. We can go out there and play with effort every day. You can’t win all of them, but you can always play with effort. For him, it’s about understanding, ‘Hey man, you made a mistake. I’ve made mistakes in my life and have been in some [stuff], too. I went into the stands on somebody [with Oklahoma State], and that could’ve cost my whole career.’

I’m just letting him know that, ‘Everything is okay. Don’t feel like you let anybody down and that no one wants to be around you or that nobody understands you or that nobody gets what you’re going through. We get it. We just want you to know that we’re here for you and we’re going to continue to go out here and work until you get back. Then when you get back, we’ll be on a run.’”

How has he reacted to that message?

Smart: “It’s been great. I don’t think anybody really said that or really put it to him that way like I have. If they have, it’s still tough when you’re that guy and somebody is trying to talk to you and hear you because they don’t understand what he’s going through. To have somebody [like me] who has been through some [stuff] and has made mistakes in their life and paid the consequences, to hear it from them and understand everything is going to be okay, it helps a lot.”

There’s still going to be another month before Ja returns. How do you and the group tackle that challenge by climbing out of this early hole and regaining some ground?

Smart: “I’ll tell it like this. When I was with the Celtics, we made it to the [2022] Finals despite being one game under .500 halfway through the season. The Miami Heat last season made it to the Finals after just making the Play-In tournament. They lost the first Play-In tournament game, and then made the playoffs as an eighth seed and wound up beating every team in the East to make it to the Finals. Stuff can happen. Where we’re at, we’re early in the season and we got time. At least when I was with the Celtics and we were half-way through, time was very limited. Same thing with Miami. Time was very limited. We got enough time to fix it. We have to keep going. Just like against the Clippers, that game shows what can happen if you just keep going and keep trying to figure it out.”

Has it been difficult not to have FOMO given the different starts here and with Boston?

Smart: “It’s been hard, especially when you’re not used to losing and with this team. Last year, they were the No. 2 seed and were used to winning. There weren’t many games that they lost. So it’s about understanding that it’s okay that you’re losing and that you can still have fun and be happy. Things are going to be okay. For this team, it’s huge to be able to have fun and play even when things aren’t going well. When we have the right mindset, things starts to go right.”

How have you seen Desmond Bane come along with a bigger role without Ja?

Smart: “Exactly. His workload has definitely increased. His stamina and endurance are things that have helped this team. We’ll continue to need that from him. We know what he can do offensively. But he’s really starting to evolve defensively, especially with all the work we’re asking him to do offensively. It’s a lot, but he’s holding it down as best as he can.”

You’ve played with [Jayson] Tatum and [Jaylen] Brown earlier, and now you’re on the same team as Desmond Bane and Ja. What advice would you give to Bane and Ja to allow them to have the same sustained success as your previous pairing?

Smart: “You’re talking about two different players in Jayson and Jaylen. Then you’re talking about a whole different player with Dez [and Ja]. Jayson Tatum is 6-foot-7 or 6’9, and a little bit more athletic that can score. Dez is a really, really strong and fast guy that can score and shoot the ball a little bit better than Jaylen and Jayson. Overall play with Jaylen and Jayson, that’s what they do. But Dez has been doing a good job with adding that to his game and being more than just as a shooter. It has worked out for him very well.”

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You and Jaren Jackson Jr. are both former Defensive Players of the Year. What defensive chemistry have you established so far?

Smart: “It’s been great. The things that Jaren is able to do defensively is a lot different than what I’m able to do. He’s protecting that rim at a very high and efficient rate. He does it really well. It’s hard not to see why he would be DPOY. I often wonder, ‘How is he making those plays?’ It’s been great. Jaren is a big goofball. Anybody will tell you that he’s a great kid and a great worker. He wants to be great. He’s taking those steps and is still learning and still young. But he’s getting there.”

What has he been doing to try to make up for Steven and Brandon being out?

Smart: “Staying out of foul trouble. That’s the big thing, especially more than ever without Steven and Brandon. You need him in the game, and he understands that. He’s been really working on it. We see the work and we’re going to keep supporting him in any way that we can.”

Will you two have a healthy competition for DPOY this season?

Smart: “Nah (laugh). It’s tough man, especially for a guard. It’s tough to win it again, let alone one time. Winning it twice is tough. But winning it as a guard is really tough. I’m not even in a competition. I’m just trying to get out here and do everything I can to help this team win.”

Since you’ve come into the league, there has been a noticeable spike in the number of speedy, athletic guards being drafted. How different is it to defend those players in comparison to more conventional guards who have speed but rely more on their ballhandling?

Smart: “It’s just about believing in my work. I understand that my experience in this league and what I’ve done to get to this point and my reputation as a defender is just about being me. It’s tough. But I can do it, and they expect me to do it. It’s something I always live up to that kind of challenge. No matter what, I’ll leave it out there on the floor. It’s part of my game. I’ll take it.”

You’ve been able to guard practically every elite player. Has it been tougher matching up with the faster guards, or with bigger forwards like Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and [Joel] Embiid on switches?

Smart: “It’s different now. The older you get, it’s more different. When you’re younger, you’re amped up and just ‘Speedy Gonzalez’ and can be all over the place. Now, I have to think about it a little bit more and think about tactics and how to get the advantage with those guys because they’re older too and have more experience. Playing against bigs, they’re taught to punish guards. So I’m just working my butt off.”

What have been your most challenging defensive matchups?

Smart: “Everybody is a challenge. We’re in the NBA and we’re pros. Everybody understands that I’m a great defender so they will pick and choose when to go at me and try to get me when I least expect it. It’s definitely a challenge throughout the league on whoever you guard. It’s the challenge and the respect factor.”

What successful defensive assignments are you most proud of over the years?

Smart: “Over my 10 years, there have been a lot. I love the way I guard Giannis. We’re not stopping him, but slowing him down a little bit to match some of his physicality. It’s always a great opportunity to go up against him. Joel [Embiid] is always a great opportunity to go up against as well. They’re physical and understand the game very well. It’s a great challenge to up against LeBron [James]. I always look forward to all of my challenges.”

You’ve done a lot with your foundation. What do you have planned in Memphis?

Smart: “We just finished my bowling event for my foundation. It was a great turnout. I raised a lot of money. The team came out, both the organization and the players. It was great to have everyone there supporting one another and to be in the city to see us that we’re here and trying to make a difference. We’re trying to support. It’s definitely hard work. But they do a good job with getting everybody involved and making sure that everybody has an opportunity to do this or that. We’re working on other things, too. It’s not written in stone. But we’re working on some things.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.