Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart has missed the last three games due to a back injury. 

The last game in which Smart played before he was out of action for the Lakers’ matchups against the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans and most recently, the Phoenix Suns, was against the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov.25. Smart scored seven points.

“[Smart] was feeling a little tightness, I guess it was three games ago now,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said during a press conference on Dec. 1. “Before the game, played through it, tightened up after and was really tight the next day, the day before Thanksgiving.”

According to Redick, Smart ultimately had imaging done, but the NBA player-turned coach did not appear worried about his former Defensive Player of the Year’s health.

“Imaging was unremarkable,” Redick added. “Looked like a normal 11-year NBA veteran. We’ve all got that MRI. So we’re not concerned long-term. It’s a day-to-day thing, and I had a number of those week to two-week episodes during a stretch of my career when I played for the Clippers. And it would just pop up and you would feel like you’re progressing and then it would kind of plateau. So we expect [Smart] to be back soon. It’s not a long-term thing.”

This is positive news for the Lakers, as another longer-term injury – which Los Angeles was plagued with to begin this 2025-26 season – would not bode well for a team that appears to be making strides in a competitive Western Conference, and league as a whole for that matter. 

Smart's Early-Season Impact

Smart has been a bona fide piece of the Lakers’ second unit, and even stepped into the starting lineup when LeBron James and Gabe Vincent were dealing with injuries early in the campaign. 

In 14 games this season – nine of which he has started – Smart has averaged 9.3 points per game on 40.8% shooting.

One game in particular where he came alive – which was truly a microcosm of his importance this year for the Lakers – was against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 5.

Smart started and scored 17 points in the game – one in which the Lakers were without two of their primary offensive contributors in James and Austin Reaves. His play in an important early-season test against a talented Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs team helped Los Angeles to a tight 118-116 victory.

Hopefully for the Lakers, per Redick’s injury assessment, Smart will not be out of action for too much longer. 

The Lakers’ next game is against the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m. EST on Dec. 4.