JJ Redick reveals Marcus Smart plan amid injury return

LOS ANGELES – Help is on the way for the banged up Los Angeles Lakers as Marcus Smart is set to make his injury return against the Phoenix Suns on Friday. Smart’s return comes at a crucial time when the Lakers are still fighting for playoff positioning in the Western Conference standings.

Prior to the Lakers game against the Suns, head coach JJ Redick acknowledged that the team was going to take a slower approach to Marcus Smart’s return from injury.

“We’re excited to get him back for all the reasons I’ve talked about over the last week. He’s been pretty diligent since he’s been able to get back on the court,” Redick said. “We thought we were gonna get him back sooner. There was a little bit of increased soreness towards the end of last week. We want to be precautionary with that. And so I think he feels ready to go. We’ll have him on a minutes restriction tonight and then we’ll be able to ramp him up a little bit more on Sunday.”

Smart’s return to the lineup comes after missing the last eight games. He had sustained an ankle injury during the Lakers’ game against the Orlando Magic back on March 21. His return gives the team a major boost at a time when the No. 3 seed in the West is still up for grabs.

Amid the recent rash of injuries, the Lakers have been hovering around the fourth and fifth seed after a strong month of March vaulted them up to No. 3. The Lakers have the tie-breaker over both the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets, the teams also in the race for the No. 3 seed.

Smart has made a major impact for the team this season, and a case can be made that he’s been the Lakers’ fourth best player behind the trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. His intensity and approach to the defensive end is unmatched, and he’s been tops on the roster in taking charges.

The 12-year veteran has appeared in 60 games, including 53 starts, at a little over 28 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals with splits of 39.9 percent shooting from the field, 33.6 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 81.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Following the game against the Suns, the Lakers have one more on their regular season schedule on Sunday against the Utah Jazz before having about a week off until the start of the playoffs.

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