The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to have their best defensive player, Marcus Smart, back in the lineup soon.
After the 125-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday, head coach JJ Redick provided an injury update on the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, who missed his third consecutive game with back spasms. Redick revealed that Smart braved through the injury in the game against the Clippers last week, before being sidelined.
“He was feeling a little tightness, I guess it was three games ago now, before the game,” Redick said of Smart, via LakersNation. “Played through it, tightened up after, I guess it was really tight the next day, the day before Thanksgiving.”
Marcus Smart Injury Update
Redick revealed that Smart’s MRI resembled a “normal 11-year veteran” that didn’t cause any alarms within the Lakers medical staff.
“So he got imaging. Imaging was unremarkable, it looked like a normal 11-year NBA veteran,” Redick said. We’ve all got that MRI. So we’re not concerned long-term, it’s a day-to-day thing.
“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.”
That Redick deemed Smart’s injury a “day-to-day thing” spells good news for a Lakers team that desperately needs the 31-year-old’s on-ball defense and toughness.
Lakers Need Smart
The Lakers, who rank 18th in defensive efficiency, are giving up 106.7 points when Smart is on the floor, and 115.8 without him — a massive 9.1 points differential. With LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves unable to guard the opponent’s best perimeter threats, Smart has been key to the Lakers defense being servicable.
In 14 games before his injury, Smart averaged 9.3 points, 2.9 assists and 2.3 rebounds from 26.8 minutes a night. He led all Lakers (minimum 10 games) in plus/minus (9.1) and defensive rating (106.7) with Redick’s team going 11-3 with him on the floor.
An anonymous NBA scout feels that the current Lakers starting unit is not good enough defensively to win a championship, making Smart’s role off the bench all the more vital.
“A starting five of Luka [Doncic], Austin [Reaves], LeBron [James], Rui [Hachimura] and Deandre [Ayton] is not competing for a championship,” he said recently.
“Their best perimeter defender is a 31-year-old Marcus Smart who doesn’t even start. Vando (Jarred Vanderbilt) is a great defender, but he’s unplayable in the playoffs because of his offensive limitations,” added the scout.
To the scout’s point, Vanderbilt has received five DNPs in a row after he 19.2 minutes from 13 games earlier in the season.
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