Many people were counting Marcus Smart out when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers this past summer after his previous contract was bought out by the Washington Wizards. He had suffered through two injury-riddled seasons, and he didn't remotely resemble the player he was just three years earlier when he was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year.
But this season, Smart has been the Lakers' X-factor and the glue that has helped hold them together. That has never been more evident than in the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets. He has had a total of 40 points, 15 assists, six steals and three blocks in those contests, and Houston easily felt his impact.
On Tuesday, the veteran guard had 25 points, seven assists and five steals, and he set the tone early with 14 points and two steals in the first quarter. As a result, the Lakers won 101-94 and now have a 2-0 series lead despite being without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
None of this seemed likely last offseason for Smart, who is now 32 years of age. But he says he's grateful to be back in the playoffs and contributing at a high level, per ESPN.
"I'm very grateful to be doing this," Smart said. "I thank God every day, because I could have been out the league, right? Injuries and things like that. So to be able to be back on this stage again, making the plays that I'm making with these guys, with this team, this organization, I'm just grateful."
Not too long ago, Smart helped the Boston Celtics reach the Eastern Conference finals five times and get to the 2022 NBA Finals. They never won it all during his nine seasons with them, but it seems as if his motivation and desire have been reignited by playing on a Lakers team that has been proving it is a quality squad over the last several weeks.
Smart was one of several players who successfully corralled Kevin Durant in Game 2 and shut him down in the second half while forcing him into a total of nine turnovers. LeBron James, who had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, knows how invaluable the veteran has been.
"He's not afraid of the moment," said James. "He's always been assigned some of the best players that [have] ever played this game in his career. So to have someone like that, it just brings a lot of composure to our team.
"Especially when we're missing -- I hate to beat a dead horse, but it's two big horses -- with AR and Luka out. So to have that, it means a lot to our ballclub."
If Los Angeles is going to knock the Rockets out of the playoffs by winning two more games in this series, expect Smart to continue to play a huge role on both ends of the floor while keeping L.A. composed.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Marcus Smart says he's 'grateful' to be back in NBA playoffs