The Boston Celtics received some good news regarding guard Marcus Smart.
Saturday wasn’t the greatest of nights for the Boston Celtics. Not only did they end up losing 96-95 to the Los Angeles Lakers, but guard Marcus Smart left in the fourth quarter with a concerning left leg injury. After undergoing an MRI, the Celtics received some good news.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Smart was diagnosed with a Grade 1 left calf strain and will miss approximately 2-3 weeks. But ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that there is optimism that Smart could return in 1-2 weeks instead.
Celtics avoid worst-case scenario with Marcus Smart
During the final act of the of the contest, Smart appeared ready to go for a rebound attempt, but he fell to the court before he could leap in the air. Smart screamed in pain before being helped to the locker room by Boston’s training staff. Many social media users shared a close-up video of Smart’s calf, fearing that he might have torn his Achilles tendon. Luckily, the MRI results confirmed that that wasn’t the case, and Smart can return shortly
Even though the Smart injury isn’t serious, this doesn’t help Boston’s depth at guard. Last week, rookie point man Payton Pritchard suffered a Grade 1 sprain of his MCL during the Celtics’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Through 17 games this season, Smart is averaging 13.1 points, 6.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from the 3-point line. In Saturday’s game against the Lakers, Smart recorded 4 points, 7 assists and 2 steals while shooting 2-for-7 from the field.
With Smart on the sidelines for the next week or so, expect the Celtics to lean upon Jeff Teague and Aaron Nesmith in his absence.