Report: Marcus Smart out rest of World Cup

Among the many questions facing Team USA following its loss to France: Do the Americans care where they finish between fifth and eighth place in the World Cup?

The United States has a gold-or-bust standard for basketball. It’d be nice to beat Serbia tomorrow then Czech Republic or Poland on Saturday. But this tournament is already a failure for USA Basketball.

So, Marcus Smart might as well not play through injury.

Shams Charania of The Athletic:

Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been shut down for Team USA’s remaining games, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Smart wanted to play in final two USA games, but is nursing minor injuries and decision was made to avoid further injury.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 11, 2019

Marcus Smart underwent X-rays on a left knuckle injury this week that came back negative, but soreness in the hand along with quad/calf soreness led to the decision to shut him down. https://t.co/bWfGsLBdqW

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 11, 2019

Smart played well for the U.S. despite injury issues. He’s a good defender who contributes well in a limited role. USA Basketball just needed to put more stars around players like him.

Hopefully, these health issues don’t carry into the Celtics’ season. Boston placed a record four players on Team USA, which provided great opportunities to build chemistry. But injury was one of the risks, and Jayson Tatum is already out with a sprained ankle.