BOSTON — Marcus Smart’s ankles will be taped up tight when he returns to game action Wednesday night, but that’s nothing unusual for the Celtics rookie.
In fact, Smart says he tapes his ankles for every game — with one notable exception.
The point guard revealed before Wednesday’s matchup with the Detroit Pistons that he forgot to add the extra stability before he took the court Nov. 7 against the Indiana Pacers. He lasted three quarters of that game before going down with a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for three and a half weeks.
“(I’ve) always (been) a tape guy; the day I hurt it I just forgot to put on tape,” Smart said. “I really forgot. I was coming in (to the locker room) after working out, and by the time I looked at the clock, it was time to go. By the time (I got) out and thought, ‘I’ve got no tape on,’ the game started.
“Never again.”
Smart admitted that he still is not back to 100 percent after sitting out the Celtics’ last 10 games and likely won’t be for at least another few weeks. His ankle is structurally sound, however, and Smart and head coach Brad Stevens agreed that he is healthy enough to test it out.
“If there (was) swelling, I wouldn’t even be trying to give it a go,” Smart said. “The pain’s still going to be there. That’s just how it is with the type of injury, the severity. There’s going to be pain probably for a couple more weeks or a couple months. But if I can play through it and it won’t affect what I’m doing out there, it’s worth giving it a shot.”
The Celtics, who have developed a nasty habit of blowing leads late in games, certainly could use energy and defensive tenacity Smart brings to the table. Stevens said how much playing time Smart actually sees against the Pistons largely will depend on his pain tolerance.
“He hasn’t even practiced really with us, so it’s hard to tell,” said Stevens, speaking before Smart officially had been given the green light. “He probably wouldn’t play quite as much and would be on a little bit of a minutes (restriction). Hard to tell. I think we need what he brings on a normal basis, so hopefully he’s able to do that.”
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
