Sick and recovering from what Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens would describe as a contusion after taking a blow to his abdomen in Sunday’s win over the New York Knicks, sixth-year guard Marcus Smart missed Tuesday’s practice and is doubtful to play against the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
“If it’s super sore, he’s not going to play,” says Stevens (per NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg).
Smart, who has averaged a career-high 11.9 points per game to start the season while being a two-way playmaker, has played in every game to start the Celtics’ season.
Starting in place of the injured Gordon Hayward, who was a participant for nearly the entirety of Tuesday’s practice after fracturing his hand against the San Antonio Spurs in November, the Tazmanian Devil been integral to the team’s defense with his hustle, precision and strength.
Gordon Hayward did most of practice today, but the Celtics didn’t do anything fully live.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) December 3, 2019
Offensively, his ability to saunter into the lane and generate assists has helped them lived without Hayward.
However, the Butler product’s shooting has been missed both within the arc and outside of it. Further, while Smart can make fine passes when he’s operating on-ball or even just making a hustle play, Hayward plays with an uncanny patience that fits well within the starting unit.
Against Miami, a team with plenty of firepower (they rank eighth in the NBA with 105.1 points per game), athletic frontcourt players and perimeter players like Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn, Smart’s defense will be sorely missed. Along with Hayward’s offense (he was averaging 18.9 points per game before his injury).
There’s certainly a chance that Boston could fall to the 14-5 Heat but if they can take advantage of Miami’s turnovers (a league-worst 18.4 per game) and lack of rebounding (their 44.6 rebounds per game rank 20th in the NBA) then they should come out with a victory, especially in if Smart returns.
*All stats gathered from Basketball Reference