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The Pacers only had six healthy players for this game, so everyone that was available played a ton of minutes. That allowed Smith to make the first start of his career, and he took full advantage. Most second-round picks don’t record double-doubles in their first starts, but the special circumstances allowed college basketball’s total assist leader from last season to do just that. Smith is a high-level passer, but he won’t be part of the Pacers’ rotation when the team is healthy. Depending on the injury report ahead of Wednesday’s game, he could end up starting again.

Between actual injuries and injury-management situations, the Pacers will have eight active players on Monday. And one, Obi Toppin (back), is active only to meet the eight-player minimum; he won’t play. So Smith, the NCAA’s all-time assist leader, will start at point guard. If the other available Pacers can knock down some shots, it would be unsurprising if Smith hit double figures in assists.