Boston coach Brad Stevens said the last time he saw Marcus Smart working on the court a couple days ago, the starter looked a lot better in his return.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean Smart could be back anytime soon.
“I know he’s working hard to try to get back,” Stevens said. “But looking better on a one-on-(zero) shooting drill doesn’t always translate to being cleared to play five-on-five when you’re talking about that injury.”
Smart suffered a torn calf injury against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 30 and hasn’t seen action since. The 26-year-old said he felt a pop during the noncontact injury, which knocked him out for the rest of the game. There’s no definite timetable for his return at this point.
When Smart talked to the media on Feb. 12, he said he wasn’t rushing the healing process, saying it’s going to take some time. He added that he was running at around 30-40 percent at the time. There is, sure, some frustration to the injury, he said, but was appreciative it wasn’t anything worse that knocked him out long-term.
The Celtics will again be short-handed Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks with four players, including Smart, listed on the injury report. Guard Kemba Walker is out with left knee management as the team has been cautious with the All-Star’s return. Walker hasn’t played the second game of back-to-backs this season. Daniel Theis (right index finger sprain) and Romeo Langford (right wrist) are also still out.
With guys like Smart unavailable, Stevens said it’s a “great opportunity” for his bench players to get minutes and show their worth. He pointed to the C’s bench bringing high energy in the Tuesday win over the Nuggets, led by rookie Aaron Nesmith.
With Walker and Smart out Wednesday, their absences should push Payton Pritchard into more action. Pritchard had a great night against Denver, posting eight points and seven assists. Other beneficiaries could include guards Jeff Teague and Carsen Edwards, both of whom didn’t play Tuesday against the Nuggets.
“He’s a really good player,” Stevens said of Smart. “He’s a good player on both ends of the court; moves the ball. He’s our leader on assists on our team. He’s obviously capable of scoring the ball. He’s one of the game’s really good perimeter defenders. Obviously, when you’re miss a guy like that, your’e going to be missing something. Everybody goes through that; every team misses guys.”
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February 18, 2021 at 06:26AM
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Marcus Smart injury: Celtics’ guard ‘looking better’ but still progressing toward return - MassLive.com
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