How the Boston Celtics have reinvented the veteran role

The Boston Celtics have been an absolute powerhouse, a WAGON if you will, to start off the 2022-23 NBA Season. The team is looking down at the rest of the league with a record of 20-5 after topping the Toronto Raptors 116-110 on Monday night.

For Boston it was the usual suspects leading the way. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart all put together solid performances for the C’s to help propel them to win number 20 on the season. Tatum had a 31 point and 12 rebound night, knocking down five 3-pointers in the process. For Brown, he did a little bit of everything for the Celtics. He scored 21 points, dished out eight assists, and ripped down eight rebounds, not to mention he didn’t turn the ball over at all. Smart was once again solid with 18 points and seven assists in the victory.

Despite strong outings from the team’s “Big 3,” the talk of the night was not any of the stars, but rather veteran big man Blake Griffin. The 33-year-old had an impressive night, he scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dropped a pair of dimes in a season-high 32 minutes. Griffin’s playing time against Toronto was his highest total since his last game with the Detroit Pistons back in February of 2021. Griffin even had a few big moments at the ScotiaBank Arena. First he had a thunderous jam through traffic in the third quarter, then he had a clutch put-back tip to essentially ice the game late in the fourth.

Starting point guard Marcus Smart had high praise for his teammate after he shined up North, saying:

"“I gotta give a big shoutout to Blake, man. Man been hooping. I’m sure – I know I didn’t – I’m sure everybody here in the world probably didn’t know Blake still has some in the tank. So to be able to see him come out and give the energy that he’s given us, you know, that’s all you can ask for.”"

The Boston Celtics have reinvented the veteran role

The Boston Celtics have been using the 13-year veteran in a unique way. So far this season, the only player on the team older than Blake Griffin, 36-year-old center Al Horford, has been resting on the second night of back-to-backs. During those games, Boston has been inserting Blake into the starting lineup. Griffin has been pretty solid when his name has been called. He’s averaged nine points and just over four rebounds, while shooting an efficient 71% from the floor over four starts.

Last Monday he stepped up as a starter while the Charlotte Hornets paid a visit to the TD Garden. Griffin posted nine points, four rebounds, and threw down a pair of nasty dunks in a blowout 140-105 win for Boston.

Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla expressed his gratitude for the big man after last week’s win over Charlotte:

"“I like Blake because he’s a great person.”"

He added that Griffin has been a true professional, remaining ready when his name is called.

The man himself somewhat echoed what his coach had to say, explaining how that mentality not only runs through him, but also through his teammates:

"“Everybody is focused on one thing and it’s just fun to come to work and play this way”"

Outside of those games, the former Sooner has only made five appearances in green. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a team use a player solely as a spot starter before. It’s similar to how soccer (or football) managers rotate their players to be sure the team is well rested.

The new strategy has paid off for the C’s. In games where Griffin has gotten the starting nod, the team is 4-0. Now, you can’t solely attribute that success to Blake, but the fact that he’s eating those minutes, putting up decent stats, and continuously working hard is something that fans should be excited about.