The Boston Celtics are dealing with a host of injuries as 2019 comes to a close, but Marcus Smart’s continued stretch of ailments may be the most costly.
Boston’s defensive leader has been suffering from an eye infection, which now has spread to both eyes. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge joined 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Rich” on Thursday morning and clarified some things surrounding the guard’s interesting ailment.
“He was just quarantined at home. But he’s been getting better,” Ainge said of Smart. “I’ve been talking to him every day. … I’m hoping that he’ll be healthy. He hasn’t played basketball or even been out of bed much over the last week, 10 days, so we need to get him back out on the court, sweating and making sure he’s healthy and feeling good.”
Ainge also said that the infection is “viral” and not pink eye, as some fans had suspected. In terms of a potential return to the floor, the front office exec targeted Christmas Day, but added that that’s “just a guess.”
The Celtics return to TD Garden on Friday for a matchup with the Detroit Pistons. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
