It's been more than a week now since Marcus Smart suffered a partial tear of his oblique after colliding with Magic center Nikola Vucevic last Sunday night. The agony the injury has caused though has only started to fade.
“Today was my first day being able to walk without grimacing in any pain,” Smart said Tuesday at the Auerbach Center. “It still hurts real bad to laugh, cough or sneeze. But the everyday stuff is getting better walking, getting out of bed and things like that. So making great progress, but unfortunately, there’s nothing really anybody can do.”
Smart is just one week into a 4-6 weeks recovery timetable for his return to basketball activities, a span that may be on the optimistic side according to BSJ's medical expert Dr. Jessica Flynn. For now, Smart is just limited to rest and gradual work in a pool to start improving his range of motion.
“It’s getting in the pool a lot to really keep going," Smart explained. "It’s light on your body. Even in the pool it’s a little tender but I’m able to do a lot more things than I would be able to do out here, because the pool takes a lot of pressure off of you. The next mark to see where I’m at is probably in two weeks, at the four-week mark and hopefully it’s progressed more than now and hopefully I can start running or jogging by then and hopefully shooting a basketball, so that’s my next mark and that’s what I’m trying to get to.”
While some pool work will help, the challenge for Smart now is knowing that he really can't do much on his own to help his progression back to the floor from some a painful injury.
“That’s probably the frustrating part. You have to sit there helplessly knowing there’s nothing you can do, and that no one can do for you. You have to sit there and go through it,” he said. “Being out here watching these guys and not being on the floor makes it even tougher. I’ve been stressing a bit not being on the court, plus with the injury, and it’s frustrating, but you have to take it day-by-day and one day at a time.”
Smart will be back with his teammates on the bench for the first time in Game 2 though, having known overcome enough of the pain issue to the point where sitting on the bench won't be excruciating. He plans on trying to make his impact felt from observations from the bench while hoping his teammates extend their season long enough for his return.
"I’m just trying to coach those guys up, especially on the defensive end out there," he explained. "It’s different being a player on the court. Being off the court you see a lot of things more differently than you probably see on the court so just really keeping those guys in contact on the defensive end, calling out calls and just trying to make sure they understand the positions they need to be in and where they need to be in and where those guys are going to be in and try to help them out."
Smart's presence back at the practice facility is already having a positive impact on morale.
“He’s got a good mind on him," Brad Stevens noted. "He’s always been a guy who can think the game. He’s an inspiring guy to be around. He’s got good passion. He’s a natural born kind of leader, and talker, and he’s got great instinct for the game, so he’s got good ideas, he’s got good thoughts. I know our guys appreciate that and value that in him, so it’s good to have him back in the gym and be around."
While some members of the organization have expressed their concern about whether Smart will heal in time to get back on the floor this postseason at all (even within the 4-6 week recovery timetable), there's no question the team is holding out hope to give him an opportunity to overcome those odds.
“I said it the other day, I miss him,” Kyrie Irving said. "He makes my job a lot easier, just because I don’t have to dribble the ball as much or create as much, you have a second lead guard who can go out there and just really make decisions and make good decisions for our team. It’s an adjustment, but it’s okay. We’ve got a few more wins to get. Six weeks is not that long a time. I think I can manage until then."