Boston Celtics: Marcus Georges-Hunt could have impact this season after signing training camp deal

The Boston Celtics added guard Marcus Georges-Hunt to the roster yesterday, picking up yet another guard who can make an impact.

Marcus Georges-Hunt never managed to break the Boston Celtics roster while spending a season with the Maine Red Claws in 2016-17.

This time around, he might be able to earn some minutes sporting the green for Boston.

Georges-Hunt is back for his second stint with the organization after signing to a training camp deal on Monday as the Celtics released Virginia Tech product Justin Bibbs.

The Miami native was an NBA novice the last time he was in training camp with head coach Brad Stevens two seasons ago. He returns with a wealth of experience about how life works in the association–and the respect and appreciation of his head coach.

Per MassLive’s Tom Westerholm:

"“I would probably defer to Danny (Ainge) on a lot of those calls, but I’m a big fan of (Georges-Hunt), have been since he was here the last time on a training camp roster,” Stevens said. “I just think he knows how to play, and I thought he impacted our practice really well already.”"

After getting his feet wet with the Orlando Magic at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season– a five-game assignment which included an eight-point, seven-rebound act in 20 minutes against the Brooklyn Nets–Georges-Hunt received plenty of time with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season.

Georges-Hunt played one game in the G-League for the Iowa Wolves, and his 34 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 12-of-12 shooting from the free throw line expedited his trip to the Twin Cities.

Once in Minnesota, Georges-Hunt rode the bench for the most part but quickly became a locker room favorite. He embraced his role as a bench mobster while establishing excellent chemistry with the likes of Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins.

When Tom Thibodeau granted him opportunities, Georges-Hunt took advantage. He scored 12 points in 29 minutes in a win over the Toronto Raptors in mid-January including some key moments down the stretch. He knocked down a pair of free throws to give Minnesota a five-point lead with 25 seconds remaining before absorbing a game-sealing offensive foul on DeMar DeRozan three seconds later.

This game was a gift bag of Georges-Hunt’s repertoire. In the third quarter, he used his 6-foot-5, 226-pound frame to bulldoze C.J. Miles on a drive to the rim before finishing with a silky kiss off the backboard. On the other end, he took advantage of a botched hand-off between Miles and Pascal Siakam, impeding the exchange with a steal before drawing a clear-path foul.

One minute later, Georges-Hunt took a pass on the left wing, stepped back and drilled a three-pointer in Miles’ eye.

Georges-Hunt’s skill set fits like a glove into the Celtics system. He plays aggressive defense, is willing to lay his body on the line to take charges and is capable of knocking down the three-pointer. In 45 games with the Red Claws two years ago, Georges-Hunt shot 39.2% from three on 4.2 attempts per game.

Stevens knows the character of Georges-Hunt’s game after seeing him extensively in training camp and with Maine in 2016-17, and clearly he appreciates it enough to bring him back for another go-round.

If Georges-Hunt shows the full extent of his three-and-D abilities in training camp, he has a chance of making the Celtics roster or earning a two-way contract with the Jabari Bird situation still up in the air.

Should he earn this distinction, minutes could be in his future. Bird and Kadeem Allen got their share of chances last season, and Georges-Hunt might be following suit.