CelticsBlog Player of the Week #17: Malcolm Brogdon

Girls and gents, the stretch run is right here. All-Star Weekend is over, and as of this writing, simply 20 video games lie between the Boston Celtics and the NBA Playoffs. The race for the highest seed within the Japanese Convention is as tight as ever, which makes every of those video games all that rather more vital — and our Participant of the Week’s efficiency that rather more impactful.

It’s a well-known pattern dimension for this week’s award, simply in an unfamiliar format. We’ve acquired 4 video games to cowl: two earlier than the All-Star break and two after. First up was the Celtics’ slim loss to Milwaukee sans 4 starters, adopted by the win over Detroit to enter the break. The next week, then, we now have dramatic wins over Indiana and Philadelphia to spherical out the slate. Let’s get into it.

Honorable Mentions

Within the curiosity of being utterly clear, this was a dogfight between two gamers, and at the very least a small cause why Derrick White didn’t take residence the {hardware} this week was as a result of I’m a bit leery of a three-peat. White has been a revelation for the Celtics in current weeks, and has captured the previous two Participant of the Week awards, which coated the three weeks previous to the All-Star Break in all.

He was that good once more throughout this two-week stretch, and should you really feel he ought to have taken the highest spot once more this week, I received’t argue with you. He averaged 18 factors per sport on 46/37/84 capturing splits, and didn’t miss a bit upon returning to the bench because the workforce got here again from the break absolutely wholesome. We’re occurring greater than a month of fantastic basketball from Derrick White, a exceptional run from a glue man.

Elsewhere, all the beginning lineup in opposition to Milwaukee deserves a shout-out for taking the Bucks to time beyond regulation regardless of lacking 4 starters (and with the fifth taking part in solely 13 minutes). Grant Williams, Mike Muscala, Blake Griffin, Sam Hauser and White all scored in double-figures in one of many workforce’s scrappier performances this season. Towards Detroit, Marcus Sensible returned from a prolonged absence on account of an injured ankle and recorded a comical 9-7-6-6 stat line to assist information into the break on a profitable observe.

Photograph by Mitchell Leff/Getty Photos

CelticsBlog Participant of the Week #17: Malcolm Brogdon

4 GP, 31.3 MPG, 20 PTS (59% FG, 59% 3PT), 4.8 REB, 4.5 AST, +23

Our sport of backup guard scorching potato brings us again to Brogdon, which means the Celtics’ reserve duo has accounted for 5 of the final six Participant of the Week awards courting again to the start of January. It’s protected to say the workforce has gotten greater than their fair proportion of worth from the duo, who’re far and away essentially the most essential items of this bench.

Brogdon doesn’t convey the defensive worth of White — he’s arguably the worst defender within the Celtics’ common rotation — however he stays the superior offensive participant, whilst White has surged in that space. What he’s given the Celtics this season is actually a turbo-charged model of his ultimate yr in Milwaukee — hyper-efficient scoring and offensive competency in a job participant capability. He was a 50-40-90 participant that season, and up to now, he’s overwhelmed it by way of true capturing proportion, 62.9% versus 61.4%, regardless of posting a better utilization price. The one guards that outrank him (twenty sixth) on the leaderboard for true capturing proportion are Steph Curry (tenth) and Damian Lillard (fifteenth).

There’s a mechanical effectivity to every little thing Brogdon does offensively. It’s like he’s a robotic constructed completely for scoring effectivity; each catch-and-shoot three looks like an inevitability, each drive exactly engineered for fulfillment. He’s the form of participant that may pile up stats with out essentially catching your eye as a viewer. These 20+ level outings actually sneak up on you.

Throughout this four-game stretch, Brogdon scored 24 or extra factors thrice, with the lone blemish being a reasonably nameless five-point outing in opposition to Philadelphia. After cashing in on 13 of his 22 makes an attempt in these video games, he’s prolonged his three-point capturing lead, with a 46.4% mark that outpaces second-place Luke Kennard by practically a full proportion level. It doesn’t matter how he takes these threes, they’re simply getting in — he converts catch-and-shoot threes at a 46.1% price and pull-ups at 47.1%.

The stretch run is now approaching, and with the Milwaukee Bucks hanging tight within the race for the Japanese Convention’s high seed, the video games will proceed to matter for the Celtics. Our subsequent week consists of 4 video games: Monday’s disappointing loss to the Knicks and three straight ESPN video games in opposition to the Cavaliers, Nets and a New York rematch. Are there any Celtics who can overthrow Brogdon and White for Participant of the Week honors? Examine again subsequent week once we break it down.