Marcus Smart will undergo thumb surgery, could return for playoffs

The Celtics' depth chart took another serious long-term hit Friday as league sources confirmed to BostonSportsJournal.com that Marcus Smart will undergo surgery on his right thumb to repair a torn ligament. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com was first to report the news of Smart's surgery.

Smart suffered the injury during Sunday's loss to the Pacers after diving for a loose ball in the crowd. He spent the past few days getting multiple opinions on the thumb in hopes of being able to play through the injury after some rest and rehab, but with no guarantee that those methods would work, he opted for surgery now.

According to Boston Sports Journal's medical expert Dr. Jessica Flynn, Smart is looking at a 6-to-8 week recovery timetable from surgery, assuming it is to repair a UCL tear in his thumb (a common ligament tear for basketball players). Flynn explained the decision process that Smart likely went through with his doctors earlier this week on BSJ.

"I think the challenge is deciding sort of how torn it is," Flynn said. "If it is a ligament tear, then assessing how torn it is and assessing how stable the joint is. If it’s unstable, then I think it’s a tough thing to play through. Every player is going to react to the same injury differently. They palm the ball differently, etc. Their game changes. I think if the UCL ligament is totally torn and he can’t function, then the answer is easy, he has surgery. There are certain UCL injuries that have to have surgeries right away, where the ligament tears and it gets stuck, so he has to get fixed.

"It’s pretty obvious on an exam, except if it’s a partial tear, it’s harder to tell. Just like the ACL, it’s harder to tell because it’s not like it’s all gone, it just feels a little looser and you don’t know if that’s normal or not. I’m guessing the MRI showed it. It’s not like Jacoby Brissett where they need him to play a game, right? They just don’t need a warm body. They need him to be available so it’s not as easy as playing a little bit and then you have surgery."

BSJ Analysis: In the short term, this doesn't change a ton for the Celtics. Whether or not Smart was going to have the surgery, they knew they wouldn't have him for the next couple weeks as the thumb healed in one form or another.

To start, the Celtics may be more aggressive in seeking out some injury relief. Kyrie Irving's likely return to the court next week will help matters, but Jaylen Brown's recovery timetable from a concussion could stretch through next week. That will make the Celtics eligible to apply for a hardship exception, which would allow them to sign a roster player next week while Brown is sidelined (if he's projected to miss another 10 days from Sunday's game).

Without Smart in the fold, there is a lot more pressure on Shane Larkin and Terry Rozier in the backcourt, particularly from a defensive perspective. Larkin is dealing with knee issues of his own (he's on a minutes limit), but the team is going to have to strike a delicate balance now between using him as a backup point guard and preserving him for the postseason. Rozier has been a focal part of the offense for the past month-plus, and that will continue for the remainder of the regular season.

Smart's ability to guard wings is essential and Rozier/Larkin don't have the size to match up and switch as well as him. Semi Ojeleye can pitch in on that front, but he's likely to be needed more in frontcourt matchups with Daniel Theis sidelined. Abdel Nader will get some chances, but he has never been known for his defensive ability on the NBA level. Asking him to play significant minutes in a playoff series feels like a stretch. Jabari Bird may be better suited for that spot role once he gets healthy. It's pretty late in the game to make a roster move, but Smart's absence may make the Celtics think long and hard about finding a better fit on the roster for the postseason than Nader with all the injuries they are dealing with. I'll examine some possibilities there this weekend here at BSJ.

The other complicating factor is Irving's knee, which the Celtics will need to baby for the rest of the regular season to ensure he's fresh and healthy for the postseason. That task becomes tougher now without Smart to lean on to fill some of those minutes. The Celtics still need to win enough games to wrap up the second seed, and their margin of error just went down a bit. Still, with a six-game lead with 14 to go, they should be fine there.

The bigger worry now is the postseason. Smart's recovery timetable makes a second-round return a legitimate possibility. However, getting out of the first round without him and Theis is no sure thing for Boston against the wrong matchup (possibly the Wizards). This team has dealt with adversity well all year, but life just got tougher for Brad Stevens in Round 1.