Marcus Smart’s recovery from his torn left oblique has been rapid, with the Boston Celtics guard on track to return to the Celtics lineup as early as next week.
Following Friday’s shootaround, Smart would confirm Sunday as the target date for his first contact practice since early April.
That marks a significant milestone for Smart, who completed portion of Friday’s drills that were “without contact” hours ahead of their showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens would tell reporters that Smart is “close” to contact drills, however.
Stevens refuses to speculate on a potential return date for Smart, saying “I don’t want to put that on Marcus.” However, it’s no secret that the fifth-year pro’s return seems imminent.
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