Is Marcus Smart playing tonight vs Pacers? Latest update on the Grizzlies guard
By Mark Nilon
Saturday, October 7, fans got their first live look at their beloved Memphis Grizzlies, as a bevy of the franchise’s faithful followers were in attendance at the FedEx Forum for a live practice.
Though the event was undoubtedly still electric, unfortunately, Taylor Jenkins did not have an active roster to work with, as a few players were relegated to the sidelines, including this past summer’s big-time acquisition, Marcus Smart.
As reported by Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian prior to practice, a Grizzlies spokesperson had come out and labeled the guard as inactive for the open session due to “minor abdominal soreness.”
Per grizzlies spokesperson, Marcus Smart will not be at open practice with minor abdominal soreness. He is not expected to miss the start of the regular season.
— Drew Hill (@DrewHill_DM) October 7, 2023
Though Hill acknowledged in his report that the ailment is “not expected” to result in him missing any regular season action, with tonight’s exhibition against the Indiana Pacers, a reasonable question that now comes to mind is whether the point guard will also be held out for the club’s preseason opener.
What is Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart’s injury status for tonight vs Pacers?
According to ESPN’s NBA injury report, Smart is currently listed as “Day-To-Day” as a result of his abdominal issue, with no official word yet posted regarding his status for the outing.
That said, considering he was just held out of practice just the other day coupled with beat writer Demichael Cole’s report that Memphis is being “cautious” with the injury, one shouldn’t be surprised if No. 35 winds up receiving a DNP on the night.
Smart finds himself coming into his first season as a member of the Grizzlies after being traded from the Boston Celtics this past July. The move has been celebrated by both fans and media pundits alike, with some predicting that his addition to Jenkins’ rotation could wind up being a “scary” matchup for opposing teams.
Smart is coming off an impressive 2022-23 season where he posted impressive per-game averages of 11.5 points, 6.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals.
