Former Celtics guard suffers ugly ankle injury with Grizzlies

Former Celtics guard Marcus Smart had to be helped off the floor on Tuesday night after suffering an ankle injury during the Grizzlies matchup with the Lakers.

Smart suffered the injury in the first quarter after landing on Austin Reaves foot during a defensive possession. Smart was down for some time after the awkward fall and was helped off the floor by the Memphis training staff. He posted three points in eight minutes before the injury and was ruled out for the game by Memphis in the second half. Smart also dealt with an abdominal injury earlier this year that forced him to miss most of Memphis’ training camp. He joins a long list of former Celtics (Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon) that have been sidelined due to injury with their new teams.

Smart’s injury is just the latest chapter during a brutal start to the year for the point guard’s new team. Memphis has been decimated by injuries during the first 11 games of the year and has struggled to a 2-9 start overall amid Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension.

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Smart has taken on a bigger offensive role amid the team’s injury woes, averaging a career-high 13.4 points per game entering Tuesday’s game. However, his shooting efficiency has struggled mightily as he’s knocked down just 28 percent of his 3s so far while posting 3.7 turnovers per game.

Memphis has a very thin backcourt if Smart has to miss significant time due to Morant’s suspension. Backup point guard Derrick Rose is also out indefinitely due to a knee injury.

The Celtics are set to face off with their former teammate on Sunday night in Memphis. However, it remains to be seen whether Smart will be healthy for that showdown in the wake of his injury on Tuesday night.