Josh Minott’s first 20 games as a Boston Celtic have probably gone better than anyone could’ve imagined when he signed with the Cs this summer. At the time, many, including myself, weren’t familiar with Minott’s game.
A three-year NBA vet who’d spent the majority of his days watching from the Minnesota Timberwolves’ bench. The Celtics were just taking a swing on a guy for the minimum, right?
Wrong.
The 23-year-old forward is a legitimate difference maker for Boston. An obvious piece of evidence is that the Celtics started winning games once he slid into the starting lineup. His motor on the glass helped solve Boston’s early-season rebounding problem, as he’s contributed five boards per game this year.
Josh Minott's three-point shooting has been a revelation
Even after moving to the bench in favor of Jordan Walsh, Minott’s contributions haven’t wavered. The biggest surprise, perhaps, has been how efficient he’s been as a three-point shooter. His 42.9% rate from long range is a career-high for him, by far.
He’s reached the elite “when he shoots, I think it’s going in every time” club.
What’s been most telling about Minott, his fit with the Celtics, and how limited his opportunities were prior to signing in Boston, is how far his career three-point percentage has risen through this first quarter-season in green.
During his time with the Timberwolves, the Florida native shot just 33.9% from beyond the arc on 0.6 attempts per game. That clip is up five percent because of how well he’s shot it so far with the Celtics and how often he’s shot it.
For perspective, Minott has nearly eclipsed his three-point attempts from his first three NBA seasons (59) through 20 games as a Celtic (56).
“It’s just a blessing to be here, truthfully,” he said earlier this season. “From the coaching staff to the training staff to the equipment managers, teammates — everyone just helps me to be the person I’m trying to be.”
If there’s one thing that the Celtics’ coaching staff has communicated through the way they’ve utilised the former Memphis standout, it’s that they believe in him. Maybe it started as a necessity thing, but there’s real trust there.
It’s not perfect. Minott still makes mistakes. He gets pulled from games as Joe Mazzulla chews his ear off and lets him know he needs to be better.
"There's no better sign of love than holding him accountable," Mazzulla told reporters last week.
Accountability could go a long way for Minott, who’s beginning to look like a real rotation player on a contending team. He can shoot, plays defense, hits the glass, and hustles. Sounds like a winning player to me.