Boston Celtics defensive ace Marcus Smart has sat out nearly a month due to an ankle injury. The last time he played was back on January 21st against the Toronto Raptors when he scored two points, grabbed two rebounds, and dished out four assists. Without arguably their best defender, the Celtics have done little but tread water in the Eastern Conference standings — the team owns a 6-5 record since Smart has been out. But a recent positive injury update indicates that Celtics fans won't have to wait much longer for Smart to return to the court.
Smart will play in Wednesday night's game against Jaden Ivey and the Detroit Pistons, per a tweet from The Athletic's Jared Weiss. Superstar wing Jayson Tatum will also be good to go for Wednesday after missing Tuesday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a non-covid illness.
Smart, 28, is in his ninth year in the NBA, all as a member of the storied Celtics franchise. He's averaging 11.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game across 41 appearances this season (all starts).
The former Defensive Player of the Year is enjoying a career year passing the ball in 2022-23 — his current 7.2 assists average is the highest of his pro tenure by a wide margin.
The Celtics should have no problem beating the Pistons at home on Wednesday night, especially now that their defensive anchor is back in the fold. Expect Smart to play well on both ends in his return and for the Celtics to win by double digits.
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