{"id":182806,"date":"2025-07-20T05:10:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T05:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/182806\/"},"modified":"2025-07-20T05:10:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T05:10:11","slug":"marcus-smart-injury-history-examining-nba-veterans-health-concerns-over-the-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/182806\/","title":{"rendered":"Marcus Smart Injury History: Examining NBA Veteran\u2019s Health Concerns Over the Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marcus Smart has always been the heartbeat of his teams \u2014 first Boston, then Memphis, and now Washington. With a playing style that combines defense, grit, and hustle, he\u2019s made diving on the floor for loose balls look like an Olympic event. But when you play like every possession is life or death, you end up on the injury report more times than you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n

From the start of his career, Marcus Smart built a reputation as a defensive bulldog who isn\u2019t afraid to sacrifice his body. That very intensity \u2014 the reason fans love him \u2014 has also made him a magnet for injuries. As Brad Stevens once said after Smart sprained his ankle in 2014, \u201cMarcus looks great\u2026 He\u2019s been in for treatment already today. He looks better than [Sunday]; better than the day before. It\u2019s progressing the way it\u2019s supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even Stevens admitted they were lucky: \u201cYeah, I mean, when you first saw it you think, \u2018Wow, it could be longer than three weeks.\u2019 He\u2019s gotta heal well and continue to do his treatment\u2026 I anticipate him being back; he\u2019s a pretty diligent kid. He works pretty hard at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

\"article-image\"\/<\/p>\n

USA Today via Reuters<\/p>\n

Looking at his injury record, the trend is clear \u2014 repeated issues with ankles, fingers, knees, quads, and the occasional abdominal tear. Marcus Smart has basically kept the Celtics, Grizzlies, and now Wizards<\/a>\u2019 medical staffs on retainer.<\/p>\n

Major Injuries Throughout His Career<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a full-fledged table, because with Marcus Smart, you need a spreadsheet more than a sentence.<\/p>\n

2014Ankle SprainNov 201410Celtics2015Achilles StrainDec 20142Celtics2015Sprained Big ToeFall 20153Celtics2015Lower Left Leg InjuryNov 20158Celtics2016Ankle InjuryOct 20163Celtics2017Sore AnkleOct 20171Celtics2018Hand LacerationJan 201811Celtics2018Torn Thumb TendonMar 201815 + PlayoffsCeltics2019Left Oblique TearApr 201911 + PlayoffsCeltics2019Sprained Right AnkleNov 20192Celtics2019Abdomen InjuryDec 20192Celtics2019Eye InfectionDec 20195Celtics2020Left Hand SprainJan 20201Celtics2020Quad ContusionFeb 20202Celtics2020IllnessMar 20201Celtics2021Right Thumb StrainJan 20211Celtics2021Calf StrainJan 202118Celtics2021IllnessApr 20211Celtics2021Calf ContusionMay 20213Celtics2021IllnessOct 20211Celtics2021HipDec 20212Celtics2021HandDec 20213Celtics2022Reconditioning\/COVIDJan 20226Celtics2022Ankle SprainFeb 20224Celtics2022Quad ContusionMay 20221 (Playoff)Celtics2023Neck\/Back\/ChestApr-May 2023MultipleCeltics2023AnkleNov 20235Grizzlies2024Finger\/Ankle\/Knee\/ShoulderOct-Dec 2024MultipleGrizzlies2025Finger\/IllnessMar-Apr 20255+Wizards<\/p>\n

Yes, you read that right. That\u2019s nearly every year with some kind of injury \u2014 the man\u2019s been listed on the injury report more consistently than your phone bill.<\/p>\n

Impact of Injuries on Marcus Smart\u2019s Career<\/p>\n

Few players have battled through as much physical wear as Marcus Smart. The 2018 thumb tendon tear alone cost him the end of the regular season and a chunk of the playoffs. That year, Smart bent his thumb back diving for a loose ball \u2014 an injury that cost him 15 games plus the first playoff series.<\/p>\n

Then came 2019, when a left oblique tear once again sidelined him during key playoff moments. And when he came back in May, Boston<\/a> fell 4-1 to Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

In 2022, the quad contusion struck during a brutal playoff opener against the Bucks. As Ime Udoka explained at the time, \u201cIt\u2019s bruised. I would say more than just pain tolerance, though. It\u2019s something that\u2019s going to be stiff. He got hit twice there and he\u2019s had this in the past where he had to miss some games obviously this year. So it\u2019s more so than just pain tolerance, there\u2019s some tightness and some restriction with movement as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"article-image\"\/<\/p>\n

USA Today via Reuters<\/p>\n

That quad wasn\u2019t his only issue that year. As Jay King reported, \u201cIme Udoka said Marcus Smart is sore and has a pretty bad quad contusion. He\u2019ll be listed as questionable tomorrow. His shoulder is \u2018fine,\u2019 per Udoka.\u201d<\/p>\n

In typical fashion, Marcus Smart didn\u2019t stay down for long. Though officially ruled out for Game 2, as Shams Charania tweeted, \u201cCeltics say Marcus Smart is OUT for Game 2 vs. Bucks due to thigh contusion,\u201d \u2014 he returned by Game 3.<\/p>\n

How Smart Manages Injuries and Recovery<\/p>\n

One of the standout moments in Smart\u2019s early career came after his 2014 ankle sprain. As Brad Stevens highlighted, \u201cI saw Marcus [on Sunday], he was in for treatment three times. He\u2019s been in for treatment already today.\u201d That wasn\u2019t a one-off. Stevens added, \u201cIf he does his treatment diligently, he\u2019ll be back sooner rather than later. Because [the medical staff] really work[s] hard to get these guys back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Time and again, Marcus Smart proved he\u2019s a gym rat even when sidelined. Whether it was his triple daily rehab sessions or offseason conditioning, his work ethic has always been his hallmark.<\/p>\n

Even in situations where most players would\u2019ve rested longer, Marcus Smart came back firing. In 2022, when he missed six games due to COVID<\/a> and reconditioning, he returned to the court quicker than expected.<\/p>\n

ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s not forget the infamous hand laceration in 2018, when Smart cut his hand on a picture frame in his hotel room. That freak injury cost him 11 games, and according to Boston.com, the glass ended up between two tendons in his right pinky. It could\u2019ve been a career-ending accident if he wasn\u2019t lucky.<\/p>\n

Despite it all, Marcus Smart still plays like the guy with everything to prove \u2014 diving on loose balls, drawing charges, and throwing his body into screens like it\u2019s the NBA Finals every night.<\/p>\n

When it comes to NBA iron men, few have limped, limped back, and then sprinted forward like Marcus Smart. His medical chart may read like a CVS receipt, but his heart and hustle are the real takeaways.<\/p>\n

ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

He\u2019s battled through thumb tears, ankle sprains, quad contusions, oblique tears, chest injuries, and more \u2014 and somehow kept coming back before anyone expected. As Danny Ainge once said back in 2015, \u201cThere\u2019s not really much speculation. At age 21, he\u2019s shown the propensity to get injured. That doesn\u2019t mean that that\u2019s going to be a pattern for his whole career, but time will tell on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, time has spoken \u2014 and Marcus Smart keeps proving that while injuries may slow him down, they\u2019ve never been able to stop him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Marcus Smart has always been the heartbeat of his teams \u2014 first Boston, then Memphis, and now Washington.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":182807,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3795],"tags":[7,294,293,177,4070,6,3512,3513],"class_list":{"0":"post-182806","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-memphis-grizzlies","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-grizzlies","10":"tag-memphis","11":"tag-memphis-grizzlies","12":"tag-memphisgrizzlies","13":"tag-nba","14":"tag-npstrans","15":"tag-toppic"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114883842814281753","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/182807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}