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Beantown is booming this week after the Boston Celtics reportedly found their next coach in Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka. That said, new team president Brad Stevens’ work really kicked into high gear a handful of days prior when he completed his first-ever trade.
As a result, point guard Kemba Walker and the two years and $73 million remaining on his contract are on the outs. In return, Stevens’ first foray into roster tinkering netted longtime Celtics favorite Al Horford from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, the five-time All-Star wasn’t the only player acquired in the deal. Joining him on the trip to the Massachusetts Bay area was fellow big man Moses Brown.
During his first post-trade session with the Boston media, Horford gave high praise for Brown and his potential fit with the Celtics.
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Horford: Moses Brown Is Full of Potential
Although Horford was shelved by the Thunder for a significant portion of the season, he did appear in 28 games for the club. And he continued to be around the team even after he was relegated to the sidelines.
So Brown is no stranger to Horford, who took the opportunity to rave about the 21-year-old during his Thursday press conference.
“As far as Moses, man, he’s a great kid,” Horford said, via NBC Sports Boston. “Guys are going to love him in the locker room. He listens. He’s all about the team. He’s trying to play the right way.”
Horford noted that he had been something of a mentor for Brown while the two were Thunder teammates. In particular, he tried to stress the importance of being a defensive presence.
“I really just tried to help him in the short time that I was with him in OKC any way that I could. Defensively – with the big guys – I’m usually harping a lot on defense. Those are some of the things that I was talking to him about.”
Horford concluded by talking up Brown’s personality, as well as his potential.
“He’s somebody that also has a lot of potential as well. But he’s going to be grateful for the locker room. He’s a really good guy.”
Brown’s Output in OKC
Although Brown began the ’20-21 campaign as a two-way player, he became a permanent fixture in the Thunder’s lineup once Horford was put on ice. During that run, he played so well that OKC inked him to a multi-year contract.
In 43 appearances with the team (32 of which were starts), Brown averaged 8.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 21.4 minutes per game. Along the way, he made 54.5% of his field-goal attempts.
He did most of his offensive damage within three feet of the hoop, where 77.2% of his shot attempts came from. However, his 62.8% conversion rate shows that he still has some room to grow there.
Brown still has some self-discovery to do defensively as well. Last season, the Thunder allowed 5.1 points per 100 possessions more when Brown was on the floor compared to when he was sitting.
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