On Sunday night, the Bruins will finally see Marcus Smart again after trading him to Memphis in June.

Even though he is out with a right ring finger ιnjury, Smart will still be able to attend the game and be honored for his nine years as the Celtics’ rock.

Joe Mazzulla, who spoke after Saturday’s practice about the influence Smart had both on and off the court, is one of many who is looking forward to Smart’s salute tomorrow.

“His community service and work here representing the organization will forever be etched into the city of Boston,” Mazzulla said, adding that his contributions will continue to shape the city’s identity. “I believe he was one of the individuals who laid the groundwork for our defense prior to my arrival… His character off the court, together with his defensive effort and mentality, made him an exceptional player. Tomorrow, it will be nice to see him.

Smart has been impressive in his rookie season with the Grizzlies, averaging 14.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. His career-best field goal percentage of 43.1 percent is up there with his best scoring average and steals average.

Nevertheless, Smart has only managed 20 appearances due to ιnjury. He was also absent for the first meeting between the two teams on November 19 in Memphis, where the Celtics prevailed, 102–100. As a result, he will have to wait until next season to play in a game against his old team.

On Sunday night, Smart will sit on the bench, but Mazzulla thinks his absence will make people’s emotions run a little higher.

As Mazzulla grinned and added, “so hopefully during a timeout, I don’t know if his hand still hurts, but maybe he can dive on the floor for a loose ball and roll one out.” This was in response to the numerous times Smart has had an emotional impact on the community and the Garden.

Even Smart’s former protégé, Payton Pritchard, is looking forward to seeing him.

“We won a lot of games with him and went to a championship,” Pritchard said. Boston was very lucky to have him. He was an invaluable leader and had a fruitful nine years here, during which he contributed much to the company’s success. Marcus, deep down, is just a nice guy. He just wants to enjoy himself. He is an adversary. However, I respect him for protecting his people.

No one can ever replace Smart for the nine years he spent with the Celtics. “You don’t replace it; I think it just looks different,” Mazzulla added.

But Smart’s influence is still visible in local customs. You can tell some of his teammates picked up his defensive philosophy from watching him train. For instance, Smart expected a lot of his teammates, including Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, to play hard defense, and that’s why they do.

A lot of small things, in Mazzulla’s opinion, come into play when a guard plays as hard as he does: guarding the center, guarding the point, picking up the full court, boxing out, taking charges, and so on. I think that’s when [our defensive identity] began, when you witness a guard make such a multi-faceted influence on the game.

On Sunday night, the Celtics organization will undoubtedly offer Smart a memorable return, honoring a man who had such an effect.