Dallas Mavericks Roster, Injury News 2017: Dennis Smith Jr. Out Indefinitely With Left Hip Strain
Dallas Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr. may have to sit on the sidelines for a while as he continues to deal with a left hip strain.
On Monday, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters that Smith has been ruled out of Tuesday's matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, and he also noted that there's no timetable for his return.
"My sense on him, knowing a little of his history, is that he's a guy who has played hurt," Carlisle said on Monday, via the Dallas Morning News.
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"He played with a pretty significant ankle injury last year, but this is all about getting a diagnosis from the doc and finding out exactly what it is and making sure he's 100 percent. It does no good to bring him back at 85 or 90 percent if there's a chance he could re-injure it based on the fact that we didn't bring him back at 100 percent," he continued.
This will be Smith's third consecutive game on the sidelines. He didn't suit up for the Mavericks during their road trip to Milwaukee and Minnesota.
Smith sustained the hip injury in the game against the Boston Celtics last Wednesday. The soreness worsened on Thursday so he sat out practice as a precautionary measure, but his condition didn't improve the next day.
The rookie guard was scheduled to meet with a team doctor on Monday, so there should be an update on his status soon. In the meantime, Smith is considered questionable for Thursday's game against the Golden State Warriors because the Mavericks are clearly not going to play him unless he is fully healthy.
Smith is averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in under 29 minutes per game this season. He's also shooting 39.4 percent from the field, 30.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 66 percent from the free-throw line.
