In the NBA, injuries are, and will forever remain, the absolute worst.
Seriously. Think of all the injuries preseason and training camp have brought upon the league: Gordon Hayward. Ben Simmons. Nerlens Noel. Reggie Jackson. Cameron Payne. Khris Middleton. We’re not even sure Anthony Davis is at full strength. Let’s not forget about Chris Bosh’s situation, either. It all sucks.
And now we’ll be adding Marcus Smart to the list of players who won’t be ready to rock on opening night.
Smart rolled his left ankled during Wednesday’s preseason tilt against the New York Knicks and is expected to miss some semi-substantial time, including the Boston Celtics’ season-opener next week, per CSN New England’s A. Sherrod Blakely:
Smart's ankle injury doesn't appear to be as serious as previous ones, likely sidelined for 2 weeks which includes missing season opener.
— A. Sherrod Blakely (@ASherrodblakely) October 20, 2016
The Celtics, for the record, aren’t worried about Smart, who missed 15 games during his rookie season and 21 games last season as a sophomore, long term:
Brad Stevens says of Marcus Smart's ankle sprain, "Early indications are that it looks like it will hopefully not be too long-term."
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 20, 2016
So there’s that.
Smart is super important to the Celtics’ identity, especially with Evan Turner gone. Losing him for any amount of time, let alone to start a season during which you’re supposed to contend for the Eastern Conference’s second-best record, is far from ideal. It may not even be something Boston can mask on the defensive end. We will have to see.
On the bright side, Terry Rozier should receive an uptick in playing time with Smart out. He barely played during his rookie season, logging just 311 total minutes, but fellow point guard and teammate Isaiah Thomas is really high on his work ethic. Now Rozier will get a chance to prove himself worthy of regular backcourt spin.
