Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens provided an update on his defensive ace Marcus Smart on Friday. The coach said Smart, who is one of the few NBA players to test positive for coronavirus, is in “great spirits, joking as always,” according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston.
Stevens said the team had a Zoom conference on Thursday. Smart playfully kicked Brad and the coaches off so the players could chat, now that the NBA season has been in limbo for 16 days after its indefinite suspension.
The Celtics were one of the five teams the NBA asked to self-quarantine, as they had played the Utah Jazz within a two-week period of Gobert's positive test.
Smart was one of the handful of players identified with the novel coronavirus, along with Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Christian Wood, and Kevin Durant.
Stevens said he's proud of Smart for coming forward and admitting he tested positive, using his platform to educate people on the importance of hygiene, social distancing, and battling the virus altogether.
The coach also explained how the Celtics have dealt with this hiatus and the steps players have taken to help the community.
“We're like the rest of the world, basketball has taken a far back seat. It’s more important now to be a community of co-workers and a community fo friends. Make sure everyone is doing OK.”
Recently, center Enes Kanter put a big emphasis on social distancing to help flatten the curve of this rapidly-growing pandemic:
“If you are not social distancing … then you are a big selfish person,” Kanter said in his podcast.
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