At the end of the regular season, the Celtics have started a workforce management for the playoffs. Thus, Tuesday against the Sixers, Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams were left to rest. Wednesday, against the Raptors, it was the turn of Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Al Horford to stay on the sidelines. But, there is one that does not rest, and even better, increases in power: Malcolm Brogdon. After planting 18 points the day before, he did it again against the Raptors by scoring 29 points at 10/19 shooting including 4/6 from 3-pointers, allowing his team to win (97-93). An impressive performance off the bench, which left Raptors coach Nick Nurse speechless.
“He’s All-Star, right? » said Nick Nurseshocked. “He’s an All-Star and a very good player, everyone knows that. He certainly gave us a hard time in the first half. He put in a huge 3-pointer, I think it was in the fourth quarter… He went off a screen and scored a 3-pointer, so yeah”.
Malcolm Brogdon was never All-Star, but he was Rookie of the Year in 2017. In any case, despite the presence of Jaylen Brown, it was Malcolm Brogdon who was the Celtics’ best player on this game. Adroit from the start of the match, he was clutch at the end with a huge long-range shot, while Toronto had just picked up the score. In the process, he served on a Mike Muscala set to regain a five-point lead.
Sixth man of the year?
Performances that no longer surprise on the side of Boston, because since his arrival last summer, he has established himself as one of the very best 6th men in the league. A role he had abandoned years ago, establishing himself as an indisputable starter since 2018/19, his third campaign in the Big League. This season, however, he has started all games on the bench, and he is running at 14.9 points at 44.4% from 3-pointers!
Despite everything, the protagonist admits that the transition from starter to substitute has not been easy.
“Coming off the bench can be a challenge sometimes, to be honest” acknowledged Malcolm Brogdon. “When you make a career of being used to being a starter, then suddenly you come off the bench… There are evenings where you have to deal with it, you’re not going to score as much, you’re not going to play as much. But I think that’s what makes a great team, having guys who are able to do that, guys who are able to sacrifice themselves. Because it’s not me who sacrifices myself every night. Every night it’s a different guy”.
The Celtics coach, Joe Mazzulla, does not pass by four paths. For him, Malcolm Brogdon deserves to be elected sixth man of the year at the end of the season.
“That would mean a lot” explained the coach. “The humility he brings to our team, he is proud to lead the “second unit”. And to be a great team, you have to have people like that. And this is the case for all members of the team. Different guys do different things, Malcolm came here with patience, humility and understanding, and the credit goes to the locker room for welcoming him and empowering him. I hope he wins this trophy. He deserves it “.
| Malcolm Brogdon | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2016-17 | MIL | 75 | 26 | 45.7 | 40.4 | 86.5 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 10.2 |
| 2017-18 | MIL | 48 | 30 | 48.5 | 38.5 | 88.2 | 0.5 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 13.0 |
| 2018-19 | MIL | 64 | 29 | 50.5 | 42.6 | 92.8 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 15.6 |
| 2019-20 | IND | 54 | 31 | 43.8 | 32.6 | 89.2 | 0.9 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 7.1 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 16.5 |
| 2020-21 | IND | 56 | 35 | 45.3 | 38.8 | 86.4 | 1.0 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 21.2 |
| 2021-22 | IND | 36 | 34 | 44.8 | 31.2 | 85.6 | 0.9 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 19.1 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 66 | 26 | 48.2 | 44.0 | 87.1 | 0.6 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 14.7 |
| Total | 399 | 30 | 46.6 | 38.7 | 88.0 | 0.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 15.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
