Marcus Smart’s former teammates on the Boston Celtics may not be playing the Flower Mound native on the court this Sunday evening due to Smart having sprained his ankle pretty badly a few games ago, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking of him — and when they’ll get to play against him.

Speaking in a recent interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown is already looking forward to the two teams’ next meeting in February. “I think the fans will celebrate that,” explained the Georgia native. “I think Marcus is a part of the community as well, he had a huge following here.”

“He represented kind of the spirit and the culture of Boston,” added Brown. “Just get after it, dive on the floor, scrappy, You know what I mean? Not afraid to get into it.”

Smart’s recent injury has unfortunately been a microcosm of the Grizzlies’ start to the NBA’s 2023–24 season; as soon as a player’s number gets called due to suspensions or injury, they too join the ranks of the injured.

Watching Smart from afar having to try and shoulder much of that burden only to see himself become a part of that burden has not likely been any easier for his former teammates to watch.

“There’s a lot of Bostonians that just embody (Smart’s gritty play) for sure,” said Brown. “So I know he’s going to be missed. He’ll be missed by me for sure.”

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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire