It’s an over-the-top pop culture nod to a silly TV show, but now Malcolm Brogdon is really in the East; In the midst of a tough trade that sent fan favorite Marcus Smart to Memphis; midway through a 4-8 recovery after a torn elbow tendon derailed his sixth season Man of the Year and Playoff appearances; Amidst a period of uncertainty, the Celtics front office is looking to make more changes to their roster with a new sanctioning collective bargaining agreement.
Let’s take a second to see how good Brogdon is in the regular season and how consistent a contributor is in the playoffs. Scored nearly 15 points per game on 45% shooting from behind the arc and in the playoffs, he was instrumental against 76ersaveraging 16 points and hitting 52% of his three-point total in the seven-game thriller.
His numbers per 36 minutes in 2022-2023 rival some of his best seasons at Indiana and Milwaukee, but — and here may be the problem, at least part of it — he didn’t have to play 36 minutes a night for the Celtics. . Brogdon sat between a handful of back-to-backs and the medical staff were careful with any scrapes and dings he picked up along the way. Subsequently, he finished his first season in Boston playing in 67 games, the most since his rookie season in Milwaukee.
Despite this rock-solid production, all many can remember is Brodgon going up against the heat after rupturing a tendon in his arm. If we’re not prisoners of that moment, we’d love to bring that production back to the Boston bench next season. After a final round that was starving for second unit points, it was important to add a veteran to it.
Of course, there are doubts.
There is concern that this is the best flanker we’ll see again from the 31-year-old soon because, well, he’s injury-prone. That’s fair considering his past, but Brad Stephens appears to refute some reports about rumors of Brogdon being traded to the Clippers and, more importantly, the severity of his injury, saying, “Malcolm is really important. That was hard and he definitely didn’t deserve it and I feel for him. Obviously we are.” We’ve talked since.There are a lot of inaccurate accounts because of that for sure.
The bottom line is, he’s going through a 4-8 week period where he rests and rehabs, as suggested by our docs, as suggested by a third-party doctor who went to see him. He is delighted and expects to be back at the start of the season and have a great year which he has had every year in the league.”
If Stevens is going to break the deadlock between Brogdon, Smart and Derrick White, there will always be more pressure on the remaining two, but this isn’t about replacing Smart or even Brogdon replacing Smart. Specifically for Brogdon, what makes Porzingis’ addition so attractive is his work as partner of choice. The Celtics ranked 6th in catch and ball tackle success rate last season, but 20th. That number should go up in 2023-2024 with Brogdon the likely recipient of those touches. In his final season at Indiana, Brogdon ranked in tiles at 87.2% as a pick-and-roll ball handler and averaged 1.02 points per possession; This was a higher efficiency than Trae Young, Luke Doncic, Damian Lillard and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This may be a source of reliable recording that does not directly involve Jays.
Porzingis completely recalculates the geometry of the parquet. It may take a while to figure it out, but he’ll eventually have a chance to justify Stephens’ decision to trade smarts for him. The Brogdon redemption path is a little tricky. If it weren’t for some cold feet in LA, Brogdon would be the Clipper and Smart would still be in the green entering his 10th season and Porzingis is helping with his transition.
However, the sense I got from Brogdon last season is that he wants to do more. He embraced his role as a sixth man and became the best sixth man in the league, but he was always measured by the way he described his fitness. He’ll still likely come off the bench, but don’t be surprised if Rookie of the Year isn’t up front and center next season. Perhaps this is not an overproduction. Perhaps he will control more of the fate of this team. He was very respectful as the new guy. Perhaps he will be motivated to be traded approx. Perhaps he will be excited by greater responsibility and diversity in his opportunities. Maybe, just maybe, more time in Boston endears him to the fans as not just a hired gun, but a likable member of the championship roster.