Celtics
Boston’s change to the combo made people wonder if it would become the team’s starting base.
Malcolm Brogdon will not start the Celtics attack, at least as a starter. Photo by AP / Darron Cummings
The Celtics ’informed change by Malcolm Brogdon helped them meet a couple of their most important needs to get into the offseason. However, it created a big question.
Brogdon has started every game as a base since the Pacers acquired him in 2019, leaving Friday’s exchange to wonder if the Celtics would use him in the same role, replacing Marcus Smart, or if they have any. something more in mind for him.
It looks like Smart will still start as a base for the Celtics. Boston considers Brogdon to arrive as a sixth man, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald reported.
Smart’s role as a Celtics starting baseman was questioned by several analysts after the NBA Finals, in which Boston failed to score 100 points in each of the last three games. Smart, who did not become the team’s full-time starting baseman until last season, responded to those who doubt he would be effective enough to be the team’s starting baseman in an interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.
“I think I proved it all a little bit,” Smart told Himmelsbach on Tuesday. “I hear the conversations about ‘It’s not a real base’ and this and that. ‘They need a star shipowner.’
“We had star bases and yet this so-called base is not the only one that has taken them to the final. I think right there says enough. I really don’t need to say too much more. I think everyone finally sees and understands who I really am, and what I can do when given the opportunity. “
Since Smart still holds his place as the team’s starting base, it looks like Brogdon is aware of the role he will play once he arrives in Boston.
“I’m looking to win a championship, that’s really all,” Brogdon told Jared Weiss of The Athletic on Friday. “In the past, I’ve worried about statistics and numbers and all that. I’m going to Boston and I won’t worry [stats]. ”
However, Brogdon mentioned that he can help the Celtics as a game creator in his interview with Weiss.
“If I got into it, I could give them a constant presence and calm as a ball manipulator and facilitator, making the guys [Jaylen] brown i [Jayson] Tatum easy shots, “Brogdon said.” Just slow down the game in those moments when we have to make a good shot. “
Brogdon carries veteran game player and Celtics president Brad Stevens and head coach Ime Udoka said they were looking to get into the offseason. He averaged 18.9 points and 6.3 assists in 146 games with the Pacers for three seasons as the team’s starting baseman.
Brogdon did not shoot as well in Indiana, where he was the leading starter for the first time in his career, as in Milwaukee. Brogdon shot 48.4 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from the 3-point range in his three seasons with the Bucks, joining the illustrious 50/40/90 club in his last season there. With the Pacers, Brogdon shot 44.7 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from the 3-point range. Boston could expect to see Brogdon’s shooting percentages rise, as he could play a similar role off the ball with the Celtics as he did with the Bucks.
The Celtics ’informed decision for Brogdon to step off the bench means they will keep their five starters together, which was arguably the best in the NBA last season. The Boston lineup of Smart, Brown, Tatum, Al Horford and Robert Williams had a net score of 24.6, which is the best net score of all starting lineups that played at least 20 games together. This group did not have such a high net score in the playoffs, with a net score of 3.5 as Williams, Horford and Smart lost time during the postseason.
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