1 Area each core Grizzlies player must improve upon heading into 2024-25

Marcus Smart: Understanding when to shoot vs. when to defer

As the other quintessential piece of the Grizzlies starting backcourt, former defensive player of the year Marcus Smart joins Ja Morant as a wonderful complementary piece to the young point guard.

Smart, who spent his first nine seasons in Boston before being traded to Memphis, will look to rectify a painfully short previous season which saw him play only 20 games.

On paper, bringing in a defensive-minded guard is an excellent game plan for the Grizzlies, as he complements Morant well and can serve as a mentor and an extra pair of hands to help run the offense.

Smart notoriously is a player who is known to quickly develop a hot hand from beyond the arc, which was perfectly encompassed during an impressive game last season in which he made eight total three pointers against the Lakers.

While Smart's shooting is undeniably an asset to the team overall, there is still clear room for improvement when it comes to shot selection.

Despite proficiency from beyond the arc, there have been times during his career when more focus was placed on emphasizing an offensive threat instead of sticking to a defensive mentality to keep the team balanced.

While the potential offensive upside is undeniable, shooting a meager .313 from deep during his limited tenure thus far with Memphis has left a subpar initial impression that Smart will try to seek redemption for during the upcoming year.

With the offseason closing in on an end, the veteran will have had ample time to get practice in with his teammates where everyone moving freely and will look to flush away the limited unfortunate sample size from last season.