PHILADELPHIA — After being sidelined for six consecutive games because of back ailments, including Sunday’s road game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Lakers Coach JJ Redick is hoping Marcus Smart will be back in the lineup in his team’s next game.
Smart wasn’t available Sunday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena, sitting out because of left lumbar muscle strain – another change in injury designation after being listed with lower back injury management in the previous three games and back spasms in his first two absences.
The 12th-year guard went through an on-court workout Sunday morning with player development/assistant coach Ty Abbott during the portion of the team’s shootaround that was open to viewing for media members.
“Over the last couple days, he’s [gotten] closer,” Redick said pregame. “We were hoping he’s back Wednesday, but still day to day.”
The Lakers’ matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday will also be the NBA Cup quarterfinals, with the winner going to Las Vegas for the Cup’s semifinals on Saturday to play the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Phoenix Suns quarterfinals matchup.
Smart has averaged 9.3 points, 2.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds and a team-best 1.8 steals in the 14 games (nine starts) he’s played.
ROOKIE LESSONS
Rookie forward Adou Thiero played a season-high 19 minutes in Friday’s road loss to the Boston Celtics, being the team’s first sub along with two-way guard Nick Smith Jr. in light of being without multiple key players for the matchup.
“My first time really out there in real minutes,” Thiero reflected Sunday morning. “So getting those minutes, getting out there was a little nerve-racking at the beginning. But at the end of the day, I just realized it’s another basketball game.”
Thiero was the primary defender against Celtics star Jaylen Brown when he subbed into the game.
“I feel like defensively, I felt comfortable,” Thiero said. “It’s just something I’ve been doing. Not hard to really lose, but I feel like offensively, just building that team chemistry, not really being around. I wasn’t on the floor, haven’t gotten those reps yet. Just trying to get more comfortable out there with everybody and figure out where I can help the team on that end.”
Thiero was sidelined for summer league, training camp, preseason and the early parts of the season as he recovered from a left knee surgery he had in the spring and the ensuing swelling he dealt with.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Thiero said he felt more settled when he realized he wasn’t going to be subbed out of the game after Brown hit a pull-up midrange shot over him in the second quarter on Friday.
“I didn’t hear a word from anybody or anything, so it was like, ‘all right, I’m still playing good defense’,” Thiero recalled. “Doing what I’m supposed to be doing, Just keep going out there and doing that. Just seeing the next substitution wasn’t for me.”
Redick has liked what he’s seen from Thiero.
“Given where he is in his career coming off the injury,” Redick said, “not having a preseason and not having a summer league, he’s done a really nice job for us in the minutes he’s gotten.”