Once Marcus Smart clears waivers following the buyout of his contract with the Washington Wizards, he will be joining the Los Angeles Lakers. He agreed to sign a two-year, $11 million contract with L.A. on Saturday, and people hope he will significantly improve the team in terms of perimeter defense, an area in which it has struggled during recent seasons.

But there is some concern that perhaps Smart isn’t the same player he once was. He appeared in just 54 games over the last two seasons due to multiple injuries, and some feel his game also declined, particularly on the defensive end, where he has been one of the NBA’s best for years.

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However, Marc Stein had what sounds like good news in that department in a recent edition of his “Stein Line” substack. He wrote that the veteran guard has been working to get back in shape this offseason.

“I’m likewise told that Smart (like [Luka] Dončić) has been working hard on his body this summer,” Stein wrote. “Conditioning was an undeniable issue for Smart last season.

“But the Lakers were convinced during their pursuit that they will see a sleeker version of the 2021-22 DPOY.”

Smart was named to the All-Defensive first team for the 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons. He was a key member of the Boston Celtics during his first nine NBA seasons, and with his help, they reached the Eastern Conference Finals five times in seven seasons and got to the NBA Finals in 2022.

They traded him in 2023 as part of a radical makeover of their roster that resulted in them winning it all in 2024. While he has spent plenty of time on the injured list since, he isn’t exactly old at 31 years of age, and none of the injuries he has had are the type that could seriously rob him of his ability.

Now that Smart is once again playing for a team that could go far in the playoffs, not to mention the fact that the second year of the contract he agreed to is a player option year, he could be poised for a resurgence this coming season.

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This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Marcus Smart has been working hard on his conditioning this summer