Marcus Smart returned to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup on April 11 after missing nine games due to a right ankle contusion. Smart played 18 minutes off the bench in Friday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns, contributing six points, five rebounds, and seven assists while helping hold the Suns to just 73 points.
Smart discussed his experience during his time away from play and how he felt upon returning. “It’s been pretty stressful, honestly,” Smart said after the win. “Me as a competitor seeing my guys out there and not being out there to help, especially with things the way they are now, we’re down bodies. It’s been tough, but everybody in the organization, players, coaches, have been giving me full-time support. No rush, take your time, whenever you feel ready get back out there. There was no rush.
“The training staff, we’ve been doing everything possible day in and day out to try to expedite this while making sure we’re not sacrificing other things that can cause the ankle to flare up and we’re back at square one. So we felt like we passed all the tests, went through all the Xs and Os and everything checked out to get out there and give it a go. Today, it felt great, so I should be back out there again on Sunday,” he said.
The Lakers have recently struggled with injuries as both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves remain sidelined. The loss of Smart had left them without their top defensive player during a critical stretch late in the season.
Head coach JJ Redick commented on playoff positioning as teams prepare for postseason matchups with one regular season game remaining. He suggested that some teams may be hoping for an opportunity to face an injury-affected Lakers squad early in the playoffs.
