Memphis Grizzlies starting guard Marcus Smart has suffered a rupture of the proximal interphalangeal joint central slip is set to miss at approximately six weeks, the team announced on Thursday. This injury, which is to his right ring finger, was sustained in the team's most recent victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Smart dislocated this finger in the third quarter against the Mavericks and did not return. After the game, Smart claimed that his finger was sore, but that he was feeling “great” and that he was going to get an MRI. The injury occured when Mavs guard Kyrie Irving swiped down on the ball and caught Smart's finger. After shooting from the perimeter on the next possession, Smart noticed that his finger felt and looked “funny,” which resulted in his immediate exit from the game.

Grizzlies' injuries stockpiling

The Grizzlies have been hit harder than any other team in the league by injuries this season. Smart missed a chunk of time earlier in the year as a result of a foot injury, as have fellow guards Derrick Rose and Luke Kennard, who have missed over half the team's games this season. Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke have yet to play at all this season. Adams was ruled out for the year in October as a result of a knee injury, and Clarke continues to progress from an Achilles injury suffered close to 10 months ago in March.

This latest injury to Smart comes on the heels of superstar point guard Ja Morant being ruled out for the remainder of the 2023-24 season after undergoing shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. Morant had surgery on Thursday and is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2024-25 season, the team said in a press release.

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Smart, who the Grizzlies traded for this past offseason, has played in a total of 20 games, all of which he has started in. The 29-year-old veteran has averaged a career-high 14.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game in Memphis this season. Smart is also averaging 2.1 steals per game and shooting 43.0 percent from the floor, both of which are also career-high marks.

The Grizzlies, who currently find themselves 14-23 on the season, have won three straight games, but are currently 4.5 games back of the play-in tournament region of the Western Conference standings. With Marcus Smart out through the All-Star break in February, the Grizzlies' hopes of making the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season continue to decline.