The Memphis Grizzlies will be without guard Marcus Smart for a while.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Smart is expected to miss multiple weeks with a left ankle injury.
The Grizzlies acquired Smart from the Boston Celtics this past offseason. The former Defensive Player of the Year hurt his ankle on November 14 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Marcus Smart, Memphis Grizzlies Updates
Smart is averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists for the Grizzlies this season while shooting 42.9% from the field, 29.5% from beyond the arc and 81.0% from the free-throw line.
The Grizzlies have the worst record in the Western Conference. They are only 2-9 and will likely struggle even more now that Smart is out.
“Control what you can control,” Smart told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda before the Lakers game. “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 what we’ve got.”
The Grizzlies will now be without Smart, Ja Morant, Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke and Derrick Rose. Morant is still serving his 25-game suspension.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Marcus Smart, Memphis Grizzlies Updates
“It’s been hard, especially when you’re not used to losing and with this team,” Smart said. “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 start to go right.”
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