The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that the Boston Celtics will be without the services of veteran guard Marcus Smart for the team’s final preseason game against the Miami Heat for an undisclosed infraction against team rules.
Per Charania, “Smart and Celtics have discussed the matter, resolved it and he was with the team on road trip in Orlando and now Miami.” Speaking to the press after practice, head coach Ime Udoka clarified as much as he was willing, noting “It’s internal (and) we’ve handled it. He’s remorseful. We hold Marcus to a high standard. Udoka continued to emphasize that the expectations of leadership for the Flower Mound native played a role in the decision.
“Marcus is one of our leaders that we expect a lot from. He understands that,” explains the Celtics coach. “He’s remorseful.”
The Celtics will suspend guard Marcus Smart for Friday's preseason game vs. Miami due to breaching team rule, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Smart and Celtics have discussed the matter, resolved it and he was with the team on road trip in Orlando and now Miami.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 14, 2021
Smart added that it was between him and the team while resisting further questions on the topic, hopefully signaling that whatever the issue was, it remains in the preseason.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Oklahoma State product missed the team’s flight to Orlando, which may well be the source of the suspension.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
