WALTHAM, Mass. -- Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart said he will make his 2016-17 season debut Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls.
Smart, who injured his ankle in Boston's final preseason game against the New York Knicks, missed the Celtics' first three games of the season. He returned to practice Monday and deemed himself ready for game action.
"I went through the full practice. The ankle felt great. I will be playing Wednesday," Smart said. "So it feels good to be back out here with those guys."
Smart is Boston's top bench option and expected to increase his ballhandling responsibilities after the departure of Evan Turner in the offseason. Celtics coach Brad Stevens often utilized Smart as the first player off the bench in the preseason, leaning on small-ball lineups that pair him with starters Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas. Smart averaged 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.5 steals over 27.3 minutes per game last season.
It's Smart's defense that distinguishes his play and the Celtics will get a jolt on that side of the ball. With Smart hampered by injuries during his career, having missed 39 games over two-plus seasons, Stevens was asked if he's worried about Smart going full throttle immediately after coming back from injury.
"We feed off of his being full-bore," Stevens said. "He's a big addition to our team."
Smart will join a second-unit backcourt that has leaned heavier on second-year guard Terry Rozier.
"[Smart will] be a huge help for us, offensively and defensively," Rozier said. "You feel his presence. He's always talking, he's loud. He's what you want. He's going to help our second unit."
The Celtics exercised their future options on both Smart (fourth year, $4.5 million) and Rozier (third year, $2 million) before Monday's deadline. The team did not trigger the fourth-year option for 2014 first-round pick James Young. That will keep $2.8 million off the books next summer when the team might be able to make another run at a big-ticket free agent.
Young, who won the battle for the team's 15th roster spot in training camp, will be a free agent after the season.
