Los Angeles Lakers veteran guard Marcus Smart has missed the last six games with a back injury that was originally classified as spasms and then a left lumbar muscle strain.
Even though he has been out for a couple of weeks though, Lakers head coach JJ Redick was not concerned that it was a long-term injury for Smart, and he appears to be right.
Smart practiced in full on Tuesday and then revealed that he is planning on returning to the lineup for Wednesday’s Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals against the San Antonio Spurs.
“Back is feeling good. Felt good in practice today. We did some tests, passed the tests, so we’re gonna give it a shot tomorrow and see how it feels,” Smart said. “But right now, I’m playing tomorrow. Hopefully it can continue to feel better with another day, a couple more hours, and it stays that way. But as of right now, everything is good to go for me.”
Smart also discussed how the injury happened and what they’ve been doing to manage it and get him back on the floor as soon as possible.”
“Just back spasms. Just wear and tear over the years,” he said. “I haven’t played in two years extensively and heavy the way that they wanted me to play here. So just kind of getting back into the groove of things, it’s common. The staff here has been doing a great job of managing it to the best of our ability but also making sure we’re not sitting out too long or not doing nothing to where it’s longer and it gets tighter. But everything has been feeling great.”
Having Smart back against the Spurs will be big as they have a lot of firepower in their backcourt, led by De’Aaron Fox.
Marcus Smart not on minutes restriction
Marcus Smart revealed that he will not be on any sort of minutes restriction when he returns, but the Lakers will be cautious to ensure he stays healthy and fresh throughout the year.
“Not really. It’s more so just, if I’m feeling good and playing well, the minutes will stay high and they’ll use me when needed. If there’s a game where I don’t need to play 30 minutes, we’re not gonna play me 30 minutes. That’s plain and simple,” Smart said.
“The long-haul obviously is getting through the regular season and making it to the playoffs. I know that’s a long way obviously to be thinking, but we just want to make sure that we’re chirping and we’re getting ready and rolling at the right time. If that means conserving my energy and not playing guys 40 minutes when they don’t have to, then we’re not gonna do that.”
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