The Boston Celtics can credit the trade that brought on veteran floor general Malcolm Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers for a fair share of their success early in the 2022-23 NBA season, and that fact was not lost on The Athletic’s Zach Harper in a recent article surveying each team’s most impactful trade of their current campaign.
The trade, which sent vet big man Daniel Theis, former lottery pick Aaron Nesmith, and several deep rotation players to the Pacers with a first-round draft pick, has been a resounding success for Boston so far, with Harper giving the Celtics an A- for the move.
“A lot of people might have thought Brogdon would come to the Boston Celtics, join Marcus Smart in the starting backcourt and do a lot of what he did in Indiana and Milwaukee,” writes the Athletic analyst.
“Instead, we’ve seen a much more modest role,” continues Harper.
“He’s coming off the bench to spell either Smart or Derrick White and continue the defensive intensity and timely scoring. He’s missed a little bit of time so far, but that’s to be expected with Brogdon. The Celtics are a machine right now, especially with their play on the perimeter. They’re great with or without Brogdon on the floor. The guard rotation of him, Smart, and White is so annoying for opponents to handle because the trio is relentless on both ends.”
“And the Celtics didn’t give up much for Brogdon, so a no-brainer move for Brad Stevens,” closes the author.
Brogdon had a bit of a rough start while he figured out his new role, but has since become a key cog in one of the most imposing offenses in league history.
Given that, we have to agree that anything less than an “A-” would be underselling the impact of the former Pacer on his new team.
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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire