As a role player, Marcus Smart’s job is fairly simple: play hard on defense, hit your open shots and be a banshee. That means doing all the dirty work that goes unnoticed so the Lakers can be in a position
to win games.
What also went unnoticed was a bit of medical work he did to himself during the fourth quarter. Smart appeared to jam his finger after deflecting a pass in the final frame, but never came off the floor.
After the game, he revealed that he dislocated his finger but just popped it back in and kept playing.
It’s unreal that Smart didn’t miss a beat, given that it was the right index finger he had surgery on last summer that got dislocated. Smart injured this finger late last season when he was a member of the Wizards. He missed a few games down the stretch and had surgery this summer.
It’s on-brand that Smart just kept on playing. Plenty of other players would’ve been done for the night, or at the very least, taken a moment to have a medical staff member pop it back in place for him.
Smart, being the competitor he is, didn’t want to miss a second. So he just took care of it himself and kept playing.
Regardless of whether Smart has a good game or not, his toughness is never in question. He’s always preaching defensive physicality and leading by example.
These are the kind of moments that need to be remembered and celebrated when it comes to Smart and what he brings to this team. It’s why the Lakers stars were so excited about Smart’s arrival in the first place.
He’s a winning player and raises your team’s level of toughness just by his mere presence. While the lows can be infuriating, the highs are equally impressive.
And thanks to Smart contributing to Lakers head coach JJ Redick’s small-ball unit in the fourth, they completed their comeback, ensuring Luka Dončić remained undefeated against his former team.
So credit to Smart, for stepping up in the moment and doing what a banshee needs to do, whatever it takes to win.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
