The Boston Celtics suspended guard Marcus Smart from performing in the team’s final preseason game against the Miami Heat at the FTX Arena on Saturday. This came after Smart failed to show up for the team’s flight to Miami earlier this week.
“It’s internal,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said of the matter. “We’ve handled it. He’s remorseful, and we hold Marcus to a high standard. We’ve made it clear from Day 1, so he’ll obviously be out tomorrow night. He’s with us here on the trip. Just look forward to moving on from this growing and obviously abiding by the team rules and principles.”
In addition to Smart’s absence, the Celtics will also be without Jaylen Brown and Al Horford, both of whom tested positive for COVID-19. Initially, the Celtics intended to give their regular starting players more minutes as they approach the start of the regular season.
Following the trade of Kemba Walker to the Brooklyn Nets, Smart will now step into the role of starting point guard for the Celtics. Smart was drafted by the Celtics as the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Since then, he has grown leaps and bounds setting career-high averages in points (13.1) and assists (5.7).
