The injury bug has bitten the Boston Celtics early in the 2015-16 campaign.
Point guard Marcus Smart will miss Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers with a sprained left big toe, the team announced Wednesday afternoon. Smart suffered the injury some time during the team’s practice Tuesday and missed Wednesday’s shootaround, according to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach.
The 21-year-old is coming off his best performance of the young season, when he scored 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting while recording a team-high four steals in Sunday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs at TD Garden.
The good news for the Celtics, however, is that they have plenty of depth to fill Smart’s void. Sixth man Isaiah Thomas should see more action Wednesday in Smart’s absence, as well as versatile swingman Evan Turner. Head coach Brad Stevens said last week he plans to play Turner at three different positions, including point guard.
Rookie point guard Terry Rozier also could see time with Smart on the shelf. Rozier has yet to play in a regular season game this season.
UPDATE (5:35 p.m. ET):Â Smart’s absence has created a shakeup in Stevens’ starting lineup against Indiana.
Thomas will make his first start as a Celtic at point guard alongside Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Jared Sullinger and Amir Johnson.
