Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is out indefinitely after practicing just one day with Team USA ahead of the FIBA World Cup.
Smart said he was “exercising caution,” Tuesday when he sat out the team’s Day 2 of practice with soreness in his left ankle. Multiple reports coming out of practice Wednesday update his status to “out indefinitely,” with tightness in his left calf. Team USA will reevaluate Smart next week when the team travels from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. The team does not compete until Aug. 16, when the USA takes on Spain. The FIBA World Cup begins Aug. 31, so there is still an ample amount of time for Smart’s lower leg to begin feeling better before the national team’s games begin.
According to CelticsWire, Smart’s “passionate play and willingness to sacrifice his body often puts him at risk of injury,” and his oblique injury at the end of the 2018-2019 season (which caused him to play in just two of the C’s playoff games) is a good example of that. Smart was also adamant about his ability to contribute as much as possible despite a thumb injury during the 2017-2018 season.
