Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has made it to the 12-man line-up of Team USA for the FIBA World Cup in China; however, not so long ago, he thought about withdrawing from the national team because of his calf injury.

Smart suffered a minor calf injury during Team USA's mini-camp, forcing him to miss the team's practices and scrimmages. Fortunately, his calf healed fully and he was eventually reactivated after a week on the sidelines.

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Team USA's guard rotation has dwindled over the past couple of weeks, with Kyle Lowry, De'Aaron Fox and Trae Young all dropping out. That being said, Smart will play an important role in the USA's quest to win the gold in the basketball world championship.

Smart is a player who can do a lot of good things on both ends of the floor, so Team USA is certainly thankful that he can suit up for the World Cup. He will most likely be the primary backup of starting point guard Kemba Walker or shooting guard Jaylen Brown, which means he will be tasked to run the second unit's offense.

A lot of fans aren't sold on the chances of Team USA dominating and winning the FIBA World Cup, but the players themselves are pretty confident in what they can do as a team. They've had impressive victories against Spain, Australia and Canada in exhibition matches, and they are hoping to carry the momentum in China.