Marcus Smart continues to take positive steps forward after suffering a partially torn oblique in April, and it seems that trend will continue Sunday.
The Celtics guard was injured in the penultimate game of Boston’s regular season and missed the entire first-round sweep of the Indiana Pacers. Smart was ruled out for Games 1, 2 and 3 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the C’s second-round series, in which they trail 2-1.
Smart’s defense certainly is missed on the court, and although the Celtics won’t put a timetable on the guard’s return, head coach Brad Stevens offered an encouraging update Saturday afternoon.
“I’m going to talk to our training staff (on Saturday), and then, (Sunday), all indication is he will go through our practice,” Stevens said, per NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg. “I’m writing up our practice plan now, and I don’t have any live drills on it, so if he does (contact work), it’ll probably be before or after practice, if that’s his next step.”
Smart clearly has been working hard to rejoin his team, as showcased in his recent workouts.
It’s unknown whether the 25-year-old will be active for Game 4 on Monday at TD Garden, but the progress he’s made and the work he’s put in certainly is a good sign.
