Throwing the body around the basketball floor is nothing new to Marcus Smart. It’s why he’s won the NBA’s hustle award three times, Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and has become a key piece for the Memphis Grizzlies.

One of Smart’s recent notable hustle moments came when he dove on the court to get a steal in the Grizzlies’ win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 26. In the following timeout, a Grizzlies trainer appeared to yank something out of Smart’s hand.

Smart, wearing tape on the palm of his left hand on Tuesday morning ahead of a game against the San Antonio Spurs, explained how that recent dive led to “a couple splinters” in his left hand.

“When I dove, my hand slid into the court and the court just took everything with it,” Smart said.

This injury wasn’t as simple as taking the splinters out and moving on, however. Smart, who has had his share of weird injuries — like having glass stuck in his right hand for six years — noted that this is a “bizarre” one.

Smart has a round sore spot on his left hand that is still impacting him a week later.

“Last night, (the sore) kept getting re-opened,” Smart said. “Every time the ball hit it, it just busted open with blood. When I caught the ball, by the time it got enough feeling back, it was time to make a play, shoot it or drive it.”

“Nothing I put on it — Band-Aid, nothing — it won’t stay on it. It just kept re-opening, re-opening. Every time we close it, it’ll re-open again,” Smart added.

The injury bothers the spot the most when it re-opens. His hand becomes more sensitive to the basketball’s touch.

Smart has played the past three games while dealing with the injury, so his playing status doesn’t appear to be in doubt. Even though Smart won’t allow the injury to be an excuse, it is something to monitor while he’s on the floor.

“I’ve had some bizarre hand deals where it makes it tough for me to really get a feel for the ball out there,” Smart said. “Sometimes you see me airball three or four times trying to get a feel for that ball because of where these injuries are in the hand.”

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Marcus Smart describes 'bizarre' hand injury he's been playing with