Originally the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Marcus Smart is heading into restricted free agency for the first time in his young career. However, it has not been an easy 2017-18 NBA season for him to say the least.

After missing the potential game-winner against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 23, the 24-year-old missed 11 games after he punched a wall in his hotel room which sliced open his right hand. Now, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports, Smart has suffered a torn tendon in his right thumb and will be out indefinitely:

While it is unclear how many games Smart will miss with this latest injury, it is a tough blow for the Celtics. After having the best record in the Eastern Conference for most of the young season, they are currently 3.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors as they look to make one final push for homecourt advantage.

Without Boston's best perimeter defender and enforcer, Terry Rozier will see increased minutes as Kyrie Irving is reportedly dealing with left knee soreness but is not expected to miss significant time. In his third season, Rozier has taken a major step in his development, averaging 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 24.4 minutes.

With the injuries starting to pile up at this stage of the season, head coach Brad Stevens will have another opportunity to show his brilliance and help the Celtics find new ways to win games in the team's final 15 games.

Smart is averaging 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 54 appearances.