Marcus Smart returned to TD Garden on Sunday as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, and it got Jon Lyons and Mike Kadlick talking about the impact of the trade that sent Smart to Memphis and brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston. Listen to the full discussion beginning at 16:00 below.
“I’m appreciative of a lot of what Marcus Smart did… I just think he was in a role that he was supposed to be the third-best player on a championship team and he’s just not that (player),” Lyons said. “Now, if you look at where the Celtics are at, Porzingis is the third-best player on the team, but there are plenty of nights where he is the second-best player on the team and once in a while he is the best player on the team.”
The guys agreed that the fit with Porzingis offensively is better than Smart. Kadlick loved Smart while he was in Boston and misses Smart as a member of the community, but has enjoyed watching the new-look Celtics on the court.
Added Kadlick: “They’re first place in the East and the best team in basketball. I don’t miss Marcus Smart the basketball player at all.”