Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is expected to make his return from an eye infection on Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.
Marcus Smart removed from Boston’s injury report. Appears he’s good to return vs Raptors.
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) December 28, 2019
Smart last played on Dec. 6, when he finished with nine points off 4-of-5 shooting in a win over the Denver Nuggets.
On the season overall, Smart is averaging 11.8 points, 4.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals over 31.3 minutes per game while shooting 38.7 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from three-point range and 87.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Of course, Smart's value cannot be measured in basic stats.
The 25-year-old is a defensive stalwart capable of guarding multiple positions and appeared to be one of the top early contenders for the Defensive Player of the Year award before hitting the shelf.
Smart made First-Team All-Defense for the first time in his career last season and also showed significant improvement as a shooter, making 36.4 percent of his long-distance tries.
The Flower Mound, TX, native, who played his collegiate basketball at Oklahoma State, was originally selected by the Celtics with the sixth overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft.
Boston has won five games in a row, including a blowout win over the Raptors on Christmas Day.
In spite of losing Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and several other key members over the summer, the C's are 22-7 on the year and are the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Even more impressive, the Celtics' success has come with injuries up and down the roster, with Smart and Gordon Hayward in particular missing significant time this season.
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