Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart returned to the court Thursday night against the Brooklyn Nets, more than five weeks and 18 games since he last played.
While Brad Stevens and the rest of the coaching staff held the two-way sparkplug for the Celtics on a minutes restriction to ease him back into the rhythm of NBA action, Smart surprised viewers with an efficient offensive performance that paced the team off the bench.
Though his contributions for the Celtics on Thursday may have been unexpected by most, to Smart, it was just another day at the office.
“It’s like riding a bike,” the guard told Celtics reporters following the game. “I just come back and do what I do.”
Smart's return to the fold is a welcome addition to a Boston squad that has struggled to gain its footing for most of the season. Once regarded as one of the most well-balanced teams in the league, the Celtics have been beset by inconsistencies on both sides of the floor.
While the Celtics have begun to right the ship on offense–thanks in large part to an improved performance by point guard Kemba Walker–the team is a far cry from the defense-first unit they prided themselves as being last season.
Not only do the Celtics carry a 112.1 defensive rating this year, a significant drop off from the 106 mark they earned last season in the same metric, but the team ranks well below other contenders in the NBA, a group which Boston considers themselves part of.
While Smart wasn't quite himself on the defensive end Thursday night–often falling a step behind the Nets' speedier wings as the effects of his calf strain continued to show–the guard's return to the lineup should prove to be a stabilizing force for a Celtics squad clearly in need of it.
As Smart made clear, playing basketball is like riding a bike, you never forget how to do it no matter how long it's been. Hopefully, winning games for the Celtics will prove to be something similar.
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