Brown raves about Brogdon's fit with Celtics after debut win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Malcolm Brogdon's performance in Sunday's preseason opener was probably exactly what the Boston Celtics envisioned he'd bring to the table when they acquired him in a trade with the Indiana Pacers over the offseason.
Brogdon made his C's debut against the Charlotte Hornets and scored 11 points with a game-high nine assists and five rebounds in just 24 minutes as Boston cruised to a 134-93 victory at TD Garden. Brogdon was the first guard off the bench and dished out six assists in the first half. He also played quality perimeter defense as part of a well-rounded outing.
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"It felt good, this is a team full of unselfish guys who clearly have an objective to just want to win," Brogdon told reporters after the game. "We want to win it all this year, so we're trying to build for that. We're not really concerned about statistics and all that. We know JT and JB are going to lead us every night on the offensive end, and then it's up to the rest of us to play our roles, and to support them but also play to the best of our abilities every night."
Brogdon has been a primary scoring option for much of his career. He won't be filling that role in Boston, which actually could benefit him greatly.
"There's definitely a freedom in my mind not having to be the guy who's scoring all the points," Brogdon explained. "I don't have the best defender in the game on me most of the time playing on this team. That really opens me up to get downhill and create for everybody, and I think that's what we saw tonight."
One instance where Brogdon got downhill and created for a teammate came in the second quarter. He pushed the pace, drew three defenders in the paint and found Grant Williams for a wide open 3-point shot.
Jaylen Brown, who scored a game-high 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, praised Brogdon's decision making and ability to make a seamless transition to a new team and system.
"Malcolm's really good at basketball. I think that's an obvious one," Brown said. "He makes the right plays. He's just a threat out there at all times. He's definitely going to make us better overall. He's more than capable of being a go-to player in this league. For him to be able to come in and run things and get himself going -- as you saw tonight he had a well-balanced game."
Brogdon is a great addition to Boston's roster. The Celtics absolutely needed a pass-first guard who can create for teammates while also picking his own spots to chip in offensively.
The only concern for Brogdon is health. He's battled injuries and missed a lot of games throughout his career. He hasn't played more than 64 regular season games in a season since his rookie campaign in 2016-17.
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If Brogdon can stay healthy, there's no question he'll be a tremendous fit with this group.
