Brad Stevens couldn’t offer much clarity Friday when asked about Marcus Smart’s eye infection, but the Celtics coach’s update sure wasn’t promising and it’s still unclear when the energetic guard will return to action.
Smart has missed the last four games with a rather mysterious eye infection. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Thursday that Smart was quarantined at home and hasn’t been out of bed much over the past week to 10 days, and Stevens indicated Friday the issue hasn’t gotten any better.
“The last report I got (from the training staff), they didn’t think they’ve seen one this bad,” Stevens told reporters, per MassLive.com. “He’s just really had a tough go about it. So I don’t know when he’ll be back. He’s still not around here.”
Smart has dealt with various injuries this season and hasn’t played since Dec. 6. Ainge speculated Thursday that Smart might return in time for Boston’s Christmas Day matchup with the Toronto Raptors, adding it was “just a guess,” but that seems like a long shot based on Stevens’ comments Friday.
Smart isn’t the only one dealing with an ailment. Gordon Hayward also will miss Friday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons, while Robert Williams and Vincent Poirier remain sidelined with hip and finger injuries, respectively.
