Marcus Smart will make his return Thursday night for the Boston Celtics, but don't anticipate him to be going all out in his first game back against the Brooklyn Nets.
At least in terms of time on the court.
The guard shared he would be ready to go after Wednesday's practice, and in his pregame media availability, Brad Stevens revealed Smart would be on a minutes restriction.
"Probably 20 to 22 (minutes)" Stevens said after mentioning Smart would be playing in "short stints."
The Celtics certainly need him, as the team has struggled significantly without him in his absence. Perhaps that's why Stevens wanted to clarify it's the medical staff imposing these limitations. He's just the messenger.
"First of all, I haven't determined that -- I get told that. And so what I do is I get told, and I follow instructions," he said. "It's a lot like being married, right? My wife tells me what to do, and I do what she says. That's pretty much how this all works with minute restrictions."
Thanks for that, Brad.
It doesn't seem like the Celtics coach seems like he's in control of a lot right now. He will have Smart coming off the bench on Thursday, though.
Hopefully that changes as Boston returns from the All-Star break against Brooklyn. Tip off is 7:30 p.m. ET.
