Marcus Smart Gets Honest About Derrick Rose on Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart recently opened up about playing with former MVP Derrick Rose:
"To have a guy in [Derrick Rose] coming back to Memphis, who is very loved, we all know what he has done in his career - and what he's done here when he was at Memphis University. Just the connectivity he has with this city. That's gonna be more important than anybody realizes."
Smart said it will be great for young Grizzlies players to have people like himself and Rose to look up to, because it's difficult for players to lead who are also still growing themselves. This is something the Grizzlies understood after how their season went last year, and were able to address it with the additions of Smart and Rose.
While Smart and Rose will both be veteran leaders for the Grizzlies, they also project to have significant roles on the court. Rose's role will likely be most prominent during Ja Morant's 25-game suspension, but Smart projects to be firmly in the rotation even after Morant returns.
Rose was not in the rotation much for the New York Knicks last season, but he could be a serviceable backup to Smart during Morant's absence. Once Morant returns, it would make sense for Rose to see less minutes, but even then he will still have value with his leadership and locker room presence.
The Grizzlies may not be done making moves this summer, but they definitely feel as if they have gotten better already.
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