The Boston Celtics are currently going through a rough stretch, having lost five out of their last seven games. And it could get worse, as the team learned on Monday that their guard Marcus Smart is set to miss several weeks recovering from a calf strain.
Smart got hurt on Sunday early in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 96-95 loss to the reigning NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers. The 26-year-old guard was going for a defensive rebound after the Lakers’ Montrezl Harrell missed an easy layup and landed awkwardly. He immediately went to the hardwood and needed help to exit to the locker room.
According to The Associated Press, Smart had an MRI on Monday, and it was revealed that he suffered a Grade 1 calf strain. The expected downtime for this injury is two to three weeks, but the Celtics are reportedly optimistic that the player might get back even earlier.
Marcus Smart has been great for the Boston Celtics lately, averaging a career-high 13.1 points and 6.1 assists per game to start the 2020-21 NBA season. He has also been a big part of the team’s defense as always and is already a candidate for an NBA All-Defensive First Team selection for the third consecutive year.
This all makes Smart extremely valuable to Boston, and it remains to be seen how they will manage to cope without him for the upcoming trip to the West. The Celtics are set to play five away games against teams from the Western Conference, including the LA Clippers and Utah Jazz.
