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Pregame Post-Ups: C's Look to Adjust During Smart's Absence

Friday, March 16 - Celtics at Magic

Pregame – C's Look to Redistribute Responsibilities During Smart's Absence

ORLANDO - Marcus Smart underwent successful surgery Friday to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb and is expected to be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks.

"It's a tough deal for Marcus," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Friday evening before taking on the Orlando Magic at Amway Center. "Marcus has been an incredible player for us all year. He clearly has meant a lot for us for the last four years, but certainly all season."

The 24-year-old point guard injured the thumb Sunday night while diving for a loose ball during Boston's matchup against the Indiana Pacers. He was able to stay in for the rest of the game and told reporters later that night that he had suffered a sprain.

Smart was hopeful that the extent of the injury would not be severe, but after seeking opinions from multiple doctors, it was suggested that he should get surgery as soon as possible so that he could potentially return during the Playoffs.

"I'm glad for him it doesn't sound like a long, long-term recovery process," said Stevens. "But certainly, even if he comes back at six or seven weeks, you're probably talking about a splint of some kind. So, he could still have some issues on game play depending on how it goes. We'll see."

The news comes at a difficult time, with Daniel Theis having undergone season-ending surgery Thursday to repair a torn left meniscus. Now with Smart out for an extended period of time, many role players are going to need to really step up in order for Boston to secure a top seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

"Obviously it's another guy we're going to be missing," said Stevens. "So, we're going to be in the process of really looking at ourselves and figuring out how we can redistribute the responsibility on our team without asking the guys to go outside of what they do best."

Jaylen Brown (concussion), Gordon Hayward (ankle) and Kyrie Irving (knee) also remain sidelined, meaning Boston is running on very few supplies heading into the final stretch. As difficult as the timing is of these injuries, Stevens remains even-keeled in his approach.

"You control what you can control, you put your best foot forward and you play as well as you can," said Stevens. "It's just the way it is in this league. And it's tough, because it's not like we get a week between games; you've got to try to figure it out on the fly and keep going."

The C's will continue the readjustment process Friday night at 7 p.m. when they tip off against the Magic.

- Taylor Snow