Jayson Tatum Tells Grizzlies Fans What They’re Getting With Marcus Smart

He discussed the departure of his longtime teammate on Wednesday.

Celtics star Jayson Tatum picked up golf during the NBA COVID-19 bubble in 2020 and has been an avid player ever since. 

Tatum participated in the Wednesday Pro-Am event at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and in a meeting with reporters was asked about Marcus Smart’s departure. Smart was traded earlier this offseason to the Grizzlies as part of a three-team deal that landed the Celtics former Wizards star Kristaps Porziņģis.

“They’re getting a leader,” Tatum said when asked what Memphis would get from Smart. “They’re getting a guy who’s a winner, who’s been to the playoffs every year. We’ve been to the Finals together obviously, so he knows what it takes to get there. Obviously extremely talented, the best defender in the league. He’s just a guy that you love to have on your team.”

Smart will be an important piece to the puzzle for Memphis with star guard Ja Morant out of the lineup for the first part of the season due to suspension. Smart’s a natural fit to slide into the starting lineup and can start alongside Morant when he returns.

The Grizzlies are an up-and-coming team in the West that could use the guidance of a veteran like Smart. Boston’s loss is Memphis’s gain, and Tatum has no doubt that Smart will continue his high level of play in the next chapter of his career.