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On April 5, the Boston Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors to secure their spot as the second seed in the Eastern Conference – marking the second straight season they have finished in that position.
During the game, Malcolm Brogdon was a constant thorn in Toronto’s side, as he came off the bench to cause havoc to a Raptors defense that has struggled all season. Following the game, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse shared his belief that Brogdon is an All-Star level player.
“Well, he’s an All-Star, right?” Nurse said. “He’s an All-Star and a really good player; everybody knows that. He certainly gave us a tough time in the first half. He hit a huge three to; I thought, there in the fourth…He came off of high ball screen and then nailed a three, so yeah.”
Brogdon scored 29 points, had 5 rebounds, and 3 assists on 52.6% shooting from the field and 66.7% shooting from deep in 34 minutes of playing time against Toronto, which is likely what led Nurse to levy so much praise his way after the game.
Malcolm Brogdon Sounds Off on Bench Role
Since joining the Celtics in the summer, Brogdon has been Boston’s primary bench contributor and has positioned himself to be in genuine contention for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award due to his reliable and impactful performances.
However, according to Brogdon, his transition into a bench role hasn’t come without hurdles, most notably understanding that his playing time will differ on a nightly basis.
“Coming off the bench, it can be a challenge, sometimes, to be honest,” Brogdon said. “Having a career where you start your whole career, then you come off the bench. There are nights when you’ve got to suck it up. And you’re, you’re not going to score as much or you’re not going to play as much. But that’s what I think makes a great team, having guys that are able to do that guys are able to sacrifice. Because it’s not me sacrificing every night, every night, it’s a different guy.”
Still, Brogdon has been a success story for Boston this year, and Celtics fans will be hoping he can remain healthy throughout the postseason and give their second unit the offensive punch he’s provided throughout the regular season.
Joe Mazzulla Heaps Praise on Malcolm Brogdon
When speaking to the media shortly after the Celtics had guaranteed a second-seeded finish, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed why he believes it’s important that Brogdon is awarded the Sixth Man of the Year award in the coming weeks.
“It would me a lot,” Mazzulla said. “The humility that he brings to our team, he takes pride in the second unit. And, in order to be a great team, you have to have people like that. And we have that from top to bottom. And different guys do different things. And, you know, Malcolm has come in here with patience, humility, and understanding and credit to the locker room for, you know, embracing and empowering him. And I hope he gets it. He deserves it.”
The Celtics have two regular-season games remaining in their season but will need to wait for the first round of the play-in tournament to reach its conclusion before they know who they will be facing in the first round of the playoffs.
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