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Monday’s victory by the Boston Celtics was more than just a notch in the winning column. It was a confidence booster for the whole roster, and the Celtics are better off because of it.
Boston controlled their clash with the Bulls from start to finish and ended in a 119-103 victory in Chicago. The victory was made possible, in large part, by the play of a harvest of reserves that badly needed an opportunity to contribute to a victory – and they did.
Rookie Aaron Nesmith and second-year guard Carsen Edwards provided their scoring minutes of the season while combining for 15 points on 5-for-8 shots from long distance. That’s after the duo combined for just 55 total points all season before Monday.
Grant Williams returned to form and scored eight points, including the game’s most important basket, while providing four targets and a solid defense. This is after seeing a significant decrease in his impact and playing time over the previous week.
Javonte Green played energetic 18 minutes and canned a pair of 3s in the win. Green hadn’t scored a 3 point since Dec. 29, when he converted his one and only triple of the season in a game in Indiana.
Long story short, these guys desperately needed a night like Monday, and ironically, the Celtics needed them right away.
That’s because Boston has lost two of its main rotating players to All-Star point guard Kemba Walker, who rested on the second night of a rematch, and guard Payton Pritchard, who is out with. a sprained right knee. Additionally, Jayson Tatum returned to the roster after a 16-day absence due to COVID-19, and there was no guarantee of his effectiveness after such a long layoff.
These circumstances spoke to the crop of young Boston players, telling them they were needed and needed to be ready. This fact matters more than one might suppose.
“I think that keeps people engaged,” Bead Stevens said of his backstop reserves knowing they would have the opportunity to play. “Guys are even more excited to be a part of it when they know they could get their number called.”
Nesmith and Edwards, in particular, had rarely heard their number called this season before Monday. Nesmith had recorded only 82 minutes of total action, while Edwards had only played 48. They hadn’t done much with those minutes either, as they had combined to shoot only. 8 against 31 at long distance despite their reputation as snipers.
Nesmith admitted Monday night that being a rookie with an uncertain role over a contender was far from an easy process for him.
“It’s been a trip,” he says. “It was difficult at times, for sure.
Yet throughout those trying times, he stayed ‘locked in’, as he called him, from the sidelines, knowing he needed to stay mentally sharp on a night like Monday. He was ready for the moment and he succeeded at both ends of the court.
Stevens commented after the game on the potential he sees in the 21-year-old rookie, while noting that the public should not judge Nesmith on his sporadic minutes.
“I just think he has a chance to be a good defenseman and he worked really hard to learn that,” Stevens said. “And I think the game slows down a bit on the other end, so that’s a good thing.”
That’s for sure, because the Celtics could definitely use snipers like Nesmith and Edwards to space the ground around Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker.
Speaking of floor spacing, this is also an area where the Celtics need Williams to be successful. He did so on Monday night, connecting on two of his three 3 points. One of those shots came at 3:37 of the fourth quarter, after Chicago scored 11 straight points to come down to under 10.
This 3 point was a bona fide punch. Failure would have given Chicago the opportunity to reduce its deficit to single digits with more than three minutes to go, and this game could very well have gone in a different direction.
Instead, Williams slammed the door on the Bulls, and that was after Williams didn’t play for a second in the game’s first three quarters. That’s the definition of delivery when your number is called, and it sure did you good for the second year.
The same can be said of Green, who has scored this season with his defense and energy but struggled to find his shooting rhythm. Green, too, confidently entered a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, as his triple at 8:48 of the final period pushed Boston’s lead from nine to 12.
This hot shot can be critical to the psyche of every young player. Tatum has been out of place during his career, but he fully understands what they are going through.
“They don’t always necessarily know when their number will be called,” Tatum said, “and it’s difficult because we were all stars wherever we came from, in college, abroad, in high school. , then coming in and just having a different role than you’re used to and having to adapt is not easy.
“But (it’s) just being a professional and joining the team, and that’s what these guys do every night. Especially when they have a chance and an opportunity and they’re playing well, I couldn’t be happier.
Tatum couldn’t be happier, and neither could this quartet of young Celtics. They were vaccinated Monday night and they took advantage of it.
Now they are full of confidence and the rest of the team are even more confident in them. There’s no question Boston is in a better position after Monday’s win than before the reveal.
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