Lakers fans frustrated as Marcus Smart suffers another blow, misses practice one day after return

epfpmoran October 9, 2025 0
march-madness-logo.png

Marcus Smart was absent from the LA Lakers practice facility on Wednesday. The former Defensive Player of the Year suffered another setback just a day after returning to practice. Lakers coach JJ Redick announced that Smart stayed home due to illness after experiencing flu-like symptoms.

The former Boston Celtics guard missed the start of training camp due to Achilles tendinopathy. He was also sidelined for the Lakers' first two preparatory games. After missing several workouts and tune-up contests, Smart returned to the field Tuesday and completed an individual workout.

Just when the signs were encouraging and it looked like the defensive stalwart was moving in the right direction, illness interrupted Smart's preparation toward the regular season. Lakers fans were left frustrated as the star guard's streak of bad luck with injuries and illnesses continued.

“Guys are having a horrible pre-season,” said one fan.

Guys are having a horrible pre-season

Another said:

Vanderbilt sees its chances increasing to overtake Marcus Smart as the best defensive protection for Luka Doncic. 🤣🤣🤣

A fan commented:

Bro, wtf, it's still something

Another commented:

he'll end up gone half the year, I already know what's happening.

A fan wrote:

I wrote another one:

Why do I have a feeling Marcus Smart will only play 30 games this year?

JJ Redick is excited to work with Marcus Smart

Marcus Smart is known for his mental toughness and defensive prowess, both qualities the Lakers were hoping to add to their roster. The Lakers signed Clever during the offseason to a two-year, $10,524,700 contract, and coach JJ Redick has revealed nightly what he expects from the veteran goaltender.

“Toughness. I told him (Smart) this before: We need his voice,” Redick said last month. “It's part of the communication. His competitive spirit. Defensively, he's probably gone a little bit under the radar because of the last couple of years, but he still ranks in almost every metric in the 80th percentile or higher.

“So he remains a very versatile defender. And for me, he's always been a very underrated playmaker.”

Smart has yet to practice with his new teammates and there is no timetable for when he will begin playing with the Lakers team. The team is scheduled to play four more preseason games and Redick would like Smart to have at least some action before the regular season begins. However, it will ultimately depend on how quickly the star guard can return to peak physical condition.