Before Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon was shipped to Beantown in the summer, he was a scrappy Indiana Pacer who made life difficult for opposing teams. In fact, Celtics star Jayson Tatum was relieved to see Brogdon in green and white for that reason.
“I always kind of hated playing against Malcolm,” Tatum said, per MassLive's Souichi Terada. “When he was in Milwaukee, when he was in Indiana. Just always knew how to play the game. Very competitive. Played hard. Competed. Dog on the defensive end and obviously can create. One of those guys that was kind of tough to play against.”
Instead of hounding Tatum on defense, Brogdon is now locking up Boston's foes. And on the offensive side of the ball, Brogdon has been an efficient scorer who can drive to the basket with ease.
Despite never starting a game this season for the Celtics, Brogdon has made the most of his minutes. For his work off the bench, he was named the 2023 Sixth Man of the Year.
What a journey for Malcolm Brogdon ☘️
The 2017 Rookie of the Year is now the 2023 Sixth Man of the Year 🏆 pic.twitter.com/kT9cr0iJs5
— ESPN (@espn) April 20, 2023
The first-year Celtic averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists over the course of the 2022-23 regular season. Plus, he shot an efficient 48.4% from the field, which got him very close to the exclusive 50-40-90 club.
In the postseason, the C's will need their sixth man to do what he has done all season to go far. Through two playoff victories against the Atlanta Hawks, Brogdon has notched nine points, five assists, and four rebounds per outing. He'll have an opportunity to up those numbers Friday when the Green Team takes on the Hawks in Atlanta for Game 3 of the first round.
Whether he's facilitating or locking up star players, Brogdon brings a rare type of depth to the table and is a crucial piece to this Celtics squad.
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