A lot of Boston Celtics fans may have hit the panic button after seeing Jared Sullinger carry Jae Crowder to the locker room. The Celtics are already dealing with a sprained toe for Marcus Smart and after a serious knee injury in the playoffs last season the worst was expected with Crowder.
The good news is that there is no bad news. Smart has suffered no set back and Crowder avoided any kind of serious injury. In fact, Crowder is expected to miss no game time. Barring a set back, the plan is to have Crowder in the starting lineup against the Milwaukee Bucks on tuesday as the Celtics attempt to get back to .500.
Unfortunately, it will be a little more time before the return of Smart. While Smart is not expected to play against the Bucks, there is a chance that he could return later on in the week. While the Celtics desperately need Smart on the court, playing it safe with him is a much wiser course of action.
Smart is the prized possession of the Celtics and after injuries troubled him a season ago, the Celtics want to make sure that he is fully recovered before putting him back on the court. The Celtics can handle a few games without Smart but they cannot handle him suffering a major injury or an aggravation of the current injury.
Smart has developed much faster than expected and was already showing signs of breaking out on the offensive end. While missing any time with the toe injury with slow down that development, it would be nothing in comparison to Smart missing significant time. The Celtics need Smart for the long term more than they need him for the short term and seeing them being overly cautious with even a minor injury is a great sign.
Oct 28, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart (36) reacts during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. The Boston Celtics won 112-95. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
The problem is that Crowder and Smart have been setting the Celtics’ identity this season. While they struggled on the offensive end prior to the Washington game, the one thing that remained consistent throughout was their ability to generate turnovers. Crowder is currently the league leader with 3 steals per game and Smart is second on the team with with 2.33 steals per game.
Generating those turnovers is not just about putting up resistance on the defensive end. The Celtics have been phenomenal in transition this season and they have generated some of their best offense directly though those steals. Unless the Celtics are firing on all cylinders, as they were against the Wizards, it is hard to imagine them generating enough offense without the transition opportunities created by Smart and Crowder.
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Missing the two of them at the same time may have been too difficult for the Celtics to overcome against a strong opponent and just having one of the two of them available will ensure that the Celtics can be competitive as they continue to get back above .500.