Marcus Smart has fit in well with the Los Angeles Lakers, though his availability has been up and down as he’s already dealt with a few different ailments.
Smart was recently held out of the Lakers’ matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to a back injury, a nagging issue that’s plagued him the past week and forced him to miss three straight games.
Without Smart, head coach JJ Redick has still managed to patch the rotation together though the veteran’s absence has coincided with the team’s slip in defensive efficiency.
Fortunately, Redick said Smart’s injury isn’t considered serious and is considered day-to-day with back tightness.
“He was feeling a little tightness, I guess it was three games ago now, before the game. Played through it, tightened up after, I guess it was really tight the next day, the day before Thanksgiving. So he got imaging. Imaging was unremarkable, it looked like a normal 11-year NBA veteran. We’ve all got that MRI. So we’re not concerned long-term, it’s a day-to-day thing,” Redick said.
“I had a number of those week to two-week episodes during a stretch of my career when I played for the Clippers and it would just pop up and you would feel like you’re progressing and then it would kind of plateau. So we expect him to be back soon, it’s not a long-term thing.”
It’s encouraging to hear Redick say that Smart isn’t expected to miss much more time given his age, injury history and value to the Lakers roster. With Smart on the floor, Redick is able to use a variety of coverages and switch almost across the board. Offensively, Smart is a great passer and can keep the basketball moving against a scrambling defense.
Off the floor, Smart is a respected leader in the locker room so he’s still able to make an impact even when he’s not playing. However, the best version of Los Angeles involves Smart as his presence on both ends can turn games.
The Lakers have done well to manage without Smart in the lineup, but with the upcoming schedule featuring several playoff caliber opponents they’ll need all the help they can get to stay atop the standings.
JJ Redick compares Marcus Smart joining Lakers to when he signed with Clippers
JJ Redick understands full well what it’s like to sign with a new team in free agency and play an important role immediately. Redick recently compared Smart joining the Lakers to when he signed with the L.A Clippers, saying they both craved to be key pieces on winning teams.
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