Marcus Smart has some eye-opening comments about how the Memphis Grizzlies have played recently.
With a 3-13 record through the first month of the 2023-24 NBA season, the Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the worst teams in the league. It's been a far from ideal start to the season for a Grizzlies team that was looking to try to break through in the Western Conference.
Sure, the injuries and suspension of Ja Morant that they've had to battle to start the year haven't helped any, but the hope was that the Grizzlies could remain somewhat afloat in the West until reinforcements arrived. So far, they've done none of that even with a retooled supporting cast.
That retooled supporting cast was highlighted by the departure of Dillon Brooks and the arrival of Marcus Smart. At least thus far, that's looking like one of the biggest mistakes of the offseason. Brooks has gotten off to an impressive start in Houston and Smart hasn't been the complete difference-maker that perhaps the Grizzlies thought they were making when they pulled the trigger on the deal.
But Smart may be the least of the Grizzlies' problems. And Smart may be the first to point that out. In fact, in a recent loss, Smart is seen yelling at his teammates that their effort has been "embarrassing."
Can Ja Morant save the Memphis Grizzlies?
As the Grizzlies find themselves at a bit of a crossroads, you can't help but wonder if they're too far gone and that not even the return of Morant would be enough to help the team turn their season around.
The Grizzlies have the second-worst offense in the league and a bottom-10 defense. I can't imagine that Morant alone will be able to solve all of the Grizzlies' issues. But if he is, there's no question that he should be an automatic NBA MVP candidate.
Without Morant, the Grizzlies have had little success winning games. There's a chance that their issues fall beyond more than just missing him. This team could be burnt out, broken, or too injured to compete this season. We won't truly find out until the return of Morant.
Perhaps there is more to the words of Smart than the heat of the moment. Smart was clearly talking out of the frustration of that game but it can extrapolated from how the Grizzlies have performed all season long.