C’s bench plays a critical role in victory over Nets: Malcolm Brogdon continues to be major contributor

Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets have lost just three out of their last 17 games, two of which are to the Boston Celtics. With Joe Mazzulla’s squad depleted with two key starters missing, the C’s had to have many of their role players step up to defeat a team that has been playing some of the best basketball in the entire association of late.

With Jayson Tatum struggling from the field all night, the Boston Celtics bench netted 38 points including 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists from the most unselfish player on the Cs this season, Malcolm Brogdon. Many rotational players like Derrick White, and Robert Williams III played their roles in the victory, but Brogdon once again carried part of the scoring load, netting double-digit points off the bench for the sixth straight contest.

The Atlanta native is third on the team in free throw attempts per game behind Tatum and Jaylen Brown in far fewer minutes than both of the C’s superstars. Brogdon did not get to the line once against the Nets, but his willingness to get into the painted area was felt all night long. He leads the team on free-throw percentage and during the past 10 games, Brogdon is shooting the 3-ball at a higher clip than any other Boston player. He is the C’s third-highest scorer during that stretch, averaging over 4.4 rebounds and four assists over this 10-game span.

Marcus Smart may have been pulling the strings for the starting unit with 10 assists, but it cannot go unnoticed how massive Brogdon has been coming off the bench to bring the Cs the exact energy they need at that moment.

After the win over New Orleans, Mazzulla summed up Brogdon’s presence in the second unit almost perfectly, stating:

"“I think when he plays at a certain pace in that second unit, and it gives us that spark, we can play even faster with that unit. And I think he does a great job of recognizing 2-on-1s, he does a great job of recognizing angles so he gets a lot of good looks off the dribble 3’s.”"

Malcolm Brogdon is getting to the rim for the Boston Celtics

The former Pacer point guard has shown the importance of aggression all season, continuing to do all he can to lead the team when he is in through the confidence he possesses in getting to the rim. Brogdon scored or assisted on the C’s first three field goals of the second quarter, keeping the Nets at an arm’s length as Brooklyn attempted to stretch its lead in the first few minutes of the quarter.

He knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers at a vital point in the contest during the final minutes of the third quarter. Right after Irving drilled a three to give the Nets a five-point advantage, Boston needed a spark. Brogdon provided that, netting a wide-open corner three to tie the game and push the momentum back in the C’s favor, and putting through a transition three to push Boston back into the lead.

In crutch time at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the former Buck orchestrated the Boston Celtics offense, playing a part in three of the first four field goals of the final period. That run included a tough right-hand finish over one of the NBA’s top emerging shot blockers, Nic Claxton, and a creative finish with his weak hand in transition to force Jacque Vaughn into a timeout.

Brogdon has simply been a magician off the bench for the Cs all season, continuing to be himself on and off the court in order to help this team win night in and night out. For the fourth time in the last five games, Brogdon shot over 50%, scoring 15 or more points for the 18th time this season. What the former Virginia Cavalier does often goes unnoticed, but for yet another game against a top-level opponent, Brogdon came in and did his job perfectly, helping the Boston Celtics send a message to the rest of the NBA.