Originally published by LakersNation.com
In a week highlighted by negativity for the Los Angeles Lakers, a rare bright spot was Marcus Smart returning to the lineup on Friday night. After missing nine straight games, Smart brought much-needed energy on both ends of the floor, leading to a 101-73 win over the Phoenix Suns.
During his absence, the veteran guard unfortunately saw two of teammates go down to injury in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. With the first round of the playoffs kicking off in a week, Smart detailed the emotions following the news of their top two scorers being sidelined indefinitely.
“Austin and Luka, they’re our engines, everybody knows it and it hurt,” Smart said. “It hurt our morale, it took us a little bit of time to get ourselves back together. But we trust in one another, we talked through it. This is new to us as well and we’re trying to figure it out together. We’re constantly seeing that and doing what we’re supposed to do. With that being said, that means everybody has to step up their roles, everybody has to step up there. Everybody has to step up their play, myself included, I’m going to have to play even more both ends of the floor. Kind of like I did tonight, being that initiator, getting us in offense, finding guys and finding the right spots for myself.”
Thankfully, the Lakers get about a week off after their final regular season game on Sunday to mentally and physically reset. Challenges certainly lie ahead in the first round of the postseason and Smart acknowledges that.
“Yeah, we all know it’s going to be a challenge for us,” he said. “But this is part of the game, right? We see this every year, playoffs and it’s about whoever can stay healthy. A little bit of luck comes into the play, but it is definitely going to be a challenge. For me, speaking for myself, I’m excited about the challenge. I know it doesn’t seem like we are as a team, but we are. We’re trying to figure it out, so I think that’s what makes it fun for us, right? We’re going to have our ups, we’re going to have our downs. But, we’re in it together. So, I definitely think having a week off will definitely help the guys that are still healthy to get fully healthy, right? We got some nicks, some knacks, banged up, everybody, that week can definitely help us. So, we can come out when it is time for the playoffs and come right out and start off the right way. And we’re going to need everybody, so using this time wisely, working on our games, but working on our bodies as well is huge.”
This is the kind of leadership that L.A. needs heading into the postseason. Hopefully the veteran presence of Smart can rally his teammates during this week break and getting time off to recalibrate will play a positive role in preparing for a playoff series.
Marcus Smart ‘felt great’ in return after ‘stressful’ absence
The Lakers missed Smart dearly due to his infectious energy, and even more so following these recent injuries. He looked great in his first game back though and revealed that he felt good physically.
However, Smart also shared that his time spent on the sideline was stressful due to not being able to help the team in a recent stretch highlighted with bad news.
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In a week highlighted by negativity for the Los Angeles Lakers, a rare bright spot was Marcus Smart returning to the lineup on Friday night. After missing nine straight games, Smart brought much-needed energy on both ends of the floor, leading to a 101-73 win over the Phoenix Suns.
During his absence, the veteran guard unfortunately saw two of teammates go down to injury in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. With the first round of the playoffs kicking off in a week, Smart detailed the emotions following the news of their top two scorers being sidelined indefinitely.
“Austin and Luka, they’re our engines, everybody knows it and it hurt,” Smart said. “It hurt our morale, it took us a little bit of time to get ourselves back together. But we trust in one another, we talked through it. This is new to us as well and we’re trying to figure it out together. We’re constantly seeing that and doing what we’re supposed to do. With that being said, that means everybody has to step up their roles, everybody has to step up there. Everybody has to step up their play, myself included, I’m going to have to play even more both ends of the floor. Kind of like I did tonight, being that initiator, getting us in offense, finding guys and finding the right spots for myself.”
Thankfully, the Lakers get about a week off after their final regular season game on Sunday to mentally and physically reset. Challenges certainly lie ahead in the first round of the postseason and Smart acknowledges that.
“Yeah, we all know it’s going to be a challenge for us,” he said. “But this is part of the game, right? We see this every year, playoffs and it’s about whoever can stay healthy. A little bit of luck comes into the play, but it is definitely going to be a challenge. For me, speaking for myself, I’m excited about the challenge. I know it doesn’t seem like we are as a team, but we are. We’re trying to figure it out, so I think that’s what makes it fun for us, right? We’re going to have our ups, we’re going to have our downs. But, we’re in it together. So, I definitely think having a week off will definitely help the guys that are still healthy to get fully healthy, right? We got some nicks, some knacks, banged up, everybody, that week can definitely help us. So, we can come out when it is time for the playoffs and come right out and start off the right way. And we’re going to need everybody, so using this time wisely, working on our games, but working on our bodies as well is huge.”
This is the kind of leadership that L.A. needs heading into the postseason. Hopefully the veteran presence of Smart can rally his teammates during this week break and getting time off to recalibrate will play a positive role in preparing for a playoff series.
Marcus Smart ‘felt great’ in return after ‘stressful’ absence
The Lakers missed Smart dearly due to his infectious energy, and even more so following these recent injuries. He looked great in his first game back though and revealed that he felt good physically.
However, Smart also shared that his time spent on the sideline was stressful due to not being able to help the team in a recent stretch highlighted with bad news.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!