Following a highly successful run with the Boston Celtics, Marcus Smart has been largely out from the spotlight during his previous two seasons with the Washington Wizards and the Memphis Grizzlies.
After missing the previous two seasons due to injury, Smart is eager to prove to the Los Angeles Lakers that he is still more than capable of leading the team.
There are those who question if Smart has passed his prime, despite his reputation as one of the league’s top perimeter defenders in the past.
The uncertainty surrounding Smart’s ability to replicate his performance, which earned him three All-Defense First Team selections and the title of Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, is precisely what motivates the newest Laker.
When asked about his motivation following a difficult couple of seasons, Smart, in his first press conference with the Lakers, said that he believes everything occurs for a reason, including his eventual destination in Los Angeles:
“I’m very motivated. The last two years for me was, in my eyes a disappointment. Injuries kind of stopped me and held me back. But like I told my wife and my family, everything happens for a reason and it’s funny that 12 years ago I could’ve been here and now it’s full circle and I’m here. Like I said, everything happens for a reason and I just look at those reasons was for me to be here. To not play and for people to look at me and say, ‘Maybe he isn’t the same’ and now that allows me to be in a place where I’m supposed to be.”
Smart very well could have began his career with the Lakers back in 2012, but he was drafted by the Celtics sixth overall, just one spot ahead of L.A. But now that he is with the purple and gold, Smart understands that the main goal is always to win a championship and he believes he is in a perfect position to help the Lakers do just that:
“It’s at the top. The main goal, the reason you go out and you compete the way you compete is to try to win championships. And what better place to be able to do that than here where the show starts and where the show ends. That was definitely a big part of it, being able to get back on that stage. Being able to get to a team that definitely could use me and I know I can make an impact and help as well, and that was a perfect fit here.”
The stage the Lakers provide is unlike any other in the NBA and there are many who were unable to handle the pressure and bright lights of playing for this franchise.
But Smart is ready to embrace that and help this team compete at the highest level.
Lakers’ Marcus Smart gives update on injury issues that plagued him last year
Marcus Smart, a guard for the Lakers, claims he is healthy for the 2025–26 season, but that won’t help him make an impact if he keeps hurting like he has the last few years.
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