The 11-year veteran spent most of his previous six seasons as a starter and began the current campaign in that role for the Memphis Grizzlies before an illness sidelined him for four games.
Since returning as a reserve, Smart has become a vital spark plug for Memphis. He will continue in that role when the Grizzlies, winners of six straight, visit the Dallas Mavericks, who are on a four-game winning streak, on Tuesday in an NBA Cup game.
Smart’s scoring and defense helped the Grizzlies recover from a slow start last Wednesday at home against Detroit. He had nine points and three assists off the bench in the second quarter, helping Memphis outscore the Pistons 37-18 and take an 18-point lead into halftime.
Smart finished with a game-high 25 points, making 7 of 11 from beyond the arc, and added five assists and three steals in an efficient 20 minutes.
While it has been an adjustment for Smart, he has significantly contributed in his new role. He has averaged 14.5 points in his four games back since missing time with food poisoning. The Grizzlies have won all four games by at least 11 points since his return.
Changing Smart’s role has allowed the Grizzlies to start Wells, a 6-foot-8 rookie who provides more defensive length on the wing than the 6-foot-3 Smart.
Smart had 16 points in Sunday’s 136-121 victory over Indiana.
Dallas, also playing in its final NBA Cup group stage game, welcomed back Luka Doncic on Sunday in a 137-131 win at Portland. Doncic scored 36 points and added 13 assists after missing the previous five games with a wrist sprain.
The Mavericks were already flourishing without the reigning NBA scoring champ and have won eight of their past nine. Doncic leads Dallas with 28.6 points and eight assists over 15 games, while fellow guard Kyrie Irving is second on the team with 24.8 points per game across his 19 outings.
Quentin Grimes has scored season highs in three straight games for the Mavericks, dropping 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting in the win over Portland.
