Marcus Smart Ruled Out Saturday as Rockets Backcourt Depth Evaporates

Marcus Smart has officially been ruled out for Saturday’s game against the Hawks with a left forearm strain, because the basketball gods refuse to let this man play a full month of uninterrupted hoops.

According to Underdog NBA, the veteran guard was a late addition to the injury report. That means anyone who already locked in their weekend fantasy lineups or player props is currently staring at the ceiling and questioning their life choices.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Marcus Smart (forearm) ruled out Saturday.'"

Smart was just starting to find his footing in his new Houston threads. He dropped an efficient 10 points in 26 minutes off the bench against the Mavericks on Wednesday. Now, his season averages of 7.5 points and 1.5 assists are parked on the bench in street clothes.

The real issue here is the domino effect. The Rockets are already resting Fred VanVleet on the second night of a back-to-back, and rookie Reed Sheppard is questionable with his own knee issue. Houston’s backcourt is currently held together by athletic tape and pure vibes.

When a team loses its primary defensive irritant and its starting point guard on the same night, the game script flips entirely. Opposing guards usually circle the Rockets on the calendar to prepare for a 48-minute wrestling match. Tonight, they get a track meet.

With the rotation completely gutted, expect guys deep on the depth chart to suddenly see heavy minutes. If you are holding a ticket on the Hawks' guards to go over their point totals, this is exactly the kind of late-scratch chaos you pray for.

Houston will have to patch together a functional offense just to get through the weekend. Until Smart’s forearm heals up, the Rockets are going to be severely lacking in the one thing they actually brought him here to do: make the other team miserable.