Smart was spotted during Wednesday's morning shootaround without a boot on his injured left foot, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.
The defensive-minded point guard told reporters he's "getting there," but it's still unclear how much time Smart will miss. He was diagnosed with a left foot sprain in mid-November and was initially expected to miss 3-to-5 weeks. The Grizzlies have been depleted by injuries all season, so Derrick Rose, Jacob Gilyard and John Konchar have been thrust into expanded roles in Memphis' backcourt recently.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Headed for lengthy absence
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The Grizzlies announced Friday that Smart has been diagnosed with a left foot sprain and is expected to return within 3-5 weeks.
Smart suffered his injury in Tuesday's game versus the Lakers and will be out for an extended period. With Luke Kennard (knee) also dealing with an injury, Jacob Gilyard, David Roddy, Ziaire Williams and John Konchar are all candidates to receive an expanded role in the coming weeks. Smart will likely target mid-December as a return date, but it wouldn't be surprising for him to be sidelined until the beginning of 2024.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Officially ruled out
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Smart (ankle) won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Lakers. He'll finish the game with three points (1-3 FG, 1-2 3Pt), one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block in eight minutes.
Smart sustained a left ankle injury in the first quarter, when he landed awkwardly on the foot of the Lakers' Austin Reaves. The Grizzlies initially listed Smart as doubtful to return before quickly ruling him out for the rest of the game. Though the Grizzlies will have off the next three days before returning to action Saturday against the Spurs, Smart looks like he could be at risk of missing time, given that he struggled to put weight on his foot as he exited the court. He'll likely be re-evaluated in the coming days, but if Smart is sidelined for any length of time, it would further insulate Jacob Gilyard as the Grizzlies' starting point guard while opening up more minutes on the wing for the likes of Luke Kennard, David Roddy, Ziaire Williams and John Konchar.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Unlikely to return Tuesday
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Smart suffered a left ankle injury in Tuesday's game versus the Lakers and is doubtful to return, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
Smart left Tuesday's game with 3:35 remaining in the first quarter after landing on Austin Reaves' foot. Jacob Gilyard and Luke Kennard will likely receive extended minutes in his absence.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Solid outing in win
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Smart ended with 17 points (5-12 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three rebounds and seven assists across 36 minutes during Sunday's 105-101 win over the Clippers.
Smart continues to lead the way for the Grizzlies with Ja Morant suspended. The veteran point guard is averaging career-high marks in points (13.4) and steals (2.1) per game, but his assist and rebounding production are down compared to his last year in Boston. Smart is a reliable fantasy option, but managers shouldn't expect him to explode anytime soon.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Notches 10 points
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Smart supplied 10 points (4-9 FG, 2-5 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists and two steals across 29 minutes during Sunday's 112-100 win over the Trail Blazers.
This wasn't Smart's best performance by any means, but his production in steals has been elite so far. Through seven games, Smart is averaging 2.7 steals per contest.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Nears double-double in loss
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Smart racked up 23 points (9-17 FG, 5-10 3Pt), five rebounds, nine assists and three steals over 35 minutes before fouling out of Monday's 125-110 loss to the Mavericks.
Smart posted season-high marks in points, boards and assists in the contest while notching multiple steals for the fourth straight contest to begin the campaign. The veteran point guard unsurprisingly hasn't been able to match the scoring prowess of Ja Morant (suspension), but he's nonetheless filled in quite well for the All-Star point guard with season averages of 17.3 points, 5.8 dimes, 2.8 boards and 2.8 triples per contest. He's also leading the league with 3.0 thefts per game, and his elite steal numbers have long been a major draw for fantasy managers.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Strong numbers against Nuggets
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Smart produced 20 points (7-13 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds, five assists and five steals across 31 minutes during Friday's 108-104 loss to the Nuggets.
The veteran guard has gotten off to a quick start to his Memphis tenure, recording seven steals and five made threes in his first two games. Smart will be the key man in the Grizzlies' backcourt while Ja Morant serves the rest of his 25-game suspension, and even though he never averaged more than 12.9 points a game as a Celtic, he has a good chance to blow past that figure over the first third of the 2023-24 campaign.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Efficient night in Griz debut
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Smart had 17 points (6-11 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 3-6 FT), three assists and two steals across 32 minutes in Wednesday's 111-104 loss to the Pelicans.
Despite his efficiency from the field, Smart missed half of his free-throw attempts and had a team-high five turnovers in Wednesday's loss. He'll be tasked with bringing the ball up as the starting point guard until All-Star Ja Morant returns from his 25-game suspension, so it'll be crucial for Smart to manage his turnovers in that time. He'll look to help the Grizzlies capture their first win of the season Friday against the defending champion Nuggets.
Smart (abdomen) is starting Friday's preseason game against the Bucks, Damichael Cole of Memphis News reports.
Smart has been dealing with an injury for most of training camp, but it's nice to see him get the green light in the Grizzlies' preseason finale. Friday will be the first time we get to see Smart share the backcourt with Desmond Bane.
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Grizzlies' Marcus Smart: Scores 11 with six dimes
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Smart had 11 points (4-8 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), a rebound, six assists and a steal across 24 minutes in Friday's 124-116 preseason loss to the Bucks.
Smart struggled with his shot from beyond the arc, but other than that, he posted a decent stat line and orchestrated the offense with efficiency, posting a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Smart will open the regular season as the Grizzlies' starting point guard and will hold that role as long as Ja Morant remains suspended.
Smart (abdomen) plans to play in Friday's preseason finale against the Bucks, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian reports.
Smart has yet to play during the preseason due to a minor abdominal injury he picked up at the beginning of training camp. However, that could change Friday. If things go according to plan, Smart should be the Grizzlies' starting point guard for the regular-season opener against New Orleans on Oct. 25.
