Inside The Wizards

Why Wizards' Marcus Smart Has a Chip on His Shoulder

Washington Wizards Guard Marcus Smart has a chip on his shoulder. Here is why he plays the game with something to prove.

Tyrone Montgomery

Feb 24, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Marcus Smart (36) chases a loose ball in front of Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford (9) in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Feb 24, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Marcus Smart (36) chases a loose ball in front of Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford (9) in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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In a perfect world, everyone would be able to get the respect they feel they deserve. Oftentimes, people are treated with respect in America. That is the case at the workplaces. Rival employers may not feel you are the hard worker others say you are. That may be how Marcus Smart is feeling as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Marcus Smart lived in a perfect world before being traded to the Washington Wizards. In the beginning stages of his NBA career, he was considered to be a valuable asset to teams looking to win a championship. He has been known as a three-and-d type player in the NBA. His ability to lock down players as a defender has been something many teams feared.

He also could knock down those open three-point shots throughout his career. We saw this in Boston as he was a key piece to their puzzle. He even won the Defensive Player of the Year there in 2022. They relied on him very much every game. He often would check the opposing team's best scorer. What a major role he played there with the Celtics. Despite him excelling in that role there, the Celtics fell short in their aims to win with Smart.

The Celtics however ended up winning a championship after they traded Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies. With those circumstances, it may feel as if Smart wasn't a contributor to winning. As he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, he then began to battle multiple injuries and miss a lot of games.

With a fresh start in Washington with the Wizards as a veteran, Smart appears to have a renewed spirit full of energy on the basketball court. It doesn't end there! Marcus Smart is playing rejuvenated basketball with something to prove to the entire basketball world as he stated he still wants to continue to show everyone that he still plays the game well and at a high level even at age 30.

After being traded from the Celtics, watching them win a championship without him, and battling injuries in Memphis, there is no wonder Marcus Smart feels slighted. He certainly has played with a chip on his shoulder for the Wizards. That will prove beneficial for both Smart and the Wizards moving forward.

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Tyrone Montgomery
TYRONE MONTGOMERY

Tyrone Montgomery Jr has covered the NBA, NFL, and NCAA Sports since 2017 where he has engaged in color commentary, writing articles, interviewing of both players and coaches, photography, videography, and even the recording of multiple podcasts as well. This has shown to be a strong passion of his as he continues along this path covering the Washington Wizards

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