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While the Boston Celtics are likely to keep a relatively tight rotation after Gordon Hayward’s broken left hand, don’t be surprised if Javonte Green forces his way in.
Green, a summer league invitee who worked his way into securing the lone available roster spot, could be called upon more often in the coming weeks to help fill the void left by Hayward’s injury.
Dating back to his play with Boston’s summer league squad as well as what we saw in the preseason, Green’s knack for scoring could make him an invaluable option for the Celtics in the coming weeks.
Green’s scoring ability in little to no time is clearly one of his greatest strengths.
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We saw that in the first half of Saturday’s 135-115 win at San Antonio with Green scoring his first points of the game less than a minute after checking into the game. He wound up with six points on 3-for-5 shooting in 13 minutes.
He came into Saturday’s game averaging 2.4 points per game. But when you look at his numbers per 36 minutes played (19.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 55.6 percent shooting from the field), they aren’t that far off from what the Celtics were getting from Hayward.
So yes, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown will likely log a good chunk of the minutes Hayward played, but don’t be surprised if Green once again crashes the playing time party and works his way into a more meaningful role and in doing so, softens the blow for the Celtics of losing Hayward.
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