Marcus Smart expects to miss games due to ankle pain

Marcus Smart, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, anticipates he’ll need to sit out a number of games this season because of persistent right ankle pain, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe tweets.

The Celtics guard is in the starting lineup against the Bulls on Monday but believes he’ll have to take an occasional game off the remainder of the season to minimize swelling in the ankle. Smart underwent an MRI and said it revealed a “really bad bone bruise” but no structural issues.

Smart has dealt with numerous injuries since playing 80 games during the 2018/19 season. He appeared in 60 games during the COVID-shortened 2019/20 campaign, then was limited to 48 games in 2020/21 due to thumb and calf ailments.

He made it through 71 regular-season games last season but suffered a quad contusion during the playoffs. Smart, who is averaging 11.4 points and 7.1 assists, has missed two games so far this season.