The start of Josh Minott's tenure with the Boston Celtics was promising. The six-foot-eight wing arrived eager to prove himself and capitalize on the best chance of his career.
He spent the summer doing three-a-days in Miami, including challenging himself against the likes of Bam Adebayo, Obi Toppin, Malik Beasley, and Bones Hyland.
When the regular season tipped off, he quickly ascended into Boston's starting lineup. It all looked so promising.
Unfortunately for Minott, he fell out of the rotation and never truly recovered. An ankle injury played a part in that, sidelining him for an extended period.
By the time the trade deadline rolled around in February, getting under the luxury tax was too valuable to hold onto him. That sent the 23-year-old wing to the Brooklyn Nets, who happen to be in town Friday for a game against his former franchise.
Jordi Fernandez's perspective on Josh Minott
Before that matchup between the Celtics and Nets got underway, Brooklyn's head coach, Jordi Fernandez, shared his perspective on how it has gone, integrating Minott into his system and the team's culture.
"Great personality -- just, you could say that he's been a teammate in the group for a long time, the way he's just blended in right away. He knew what we were about," said Fernandez.
Minott's jovial personality and joking nature came through in Boston. In an early meeting with his new bench boss, he quickly developed a connection with the second-year head coach.
"I sat down with him in my office, and, you know, sometimes you feel like it's going to be a quick conversation, and all of a sudden, we're talking for like 20-30 minutes, and it was good to get to know these guys," voiced Fernandez. "The reality of the NBA, sometimes, you know, there's trades, and it may be weird, but it's part of it. And he's done a great job just trying to, right away, be part of it."
After his lengthy absence near the end of his tenure with the Celtics, Minott needed to knock the rust off. Fernandez is pleased with how he has acclimated, making use of playing time with the franchise's G League affiliate in Long Island. He also recently made his debut with the parent club, registering two steals in 5:08 against the San Antonio Spurs.
"Played in Long Island, did a great job. We needed him to be in game shape, and I think he took advantage of those minutes, and now he's ready to play here," expressed Fernandez. "So, very happy with him and trying to help him develop and see what we got."