Malcolm Brogdon hasn’t played an entire season with Boston. Yet, he’s already impressed with what’s come from the Celtics experience.
The 30-year-old arrived in Boston through an offseason trade, being dealt from the Indiana Pacers back on July 1. And ever since, Brogdon has flourished in a Celtics uniform, quickly emerging into the highlight of Boston’s offseason transactions. His ongoing display of sacrifice and leadership have made it evident that Brogdon is essential for Boston’s playoff ambitions down the line.
When speaking with Celtics legends Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, Brogdon detailed his first go around with the C’s. And in doing so, he explained what he’s found different about being a member of the Celtics compared to any other organization he’s played for throughout his career.
“Honestly, I think it starts with (Jayson Tatum) and (Jaylen Brown),” Brogdon said during an installment of SHOWTIME Basketball’s “KG Certified” series. “The dudes are just like — they’re not high maintenance. They set the tone, but they don’t set it with ego. They set it like trynna be inclusive, trying to do stuff together. Like when we have team events, people have dinners for their foundations, everybody shows up. I’ve never been on a team like that.”
It’s only been 64 games with the Celtics, but Brogdon emphasized the foundation that most teams across the league don’t have.
“I feel like culture, the word ‘culture’ is used so much, it’s overused,” Brogdon said. “And there are very few teams that actually have culture. … And this is one of the few organizations I think from the top down, that has culture. So it’s dope to be a part of.”
Needless to say, most Celtics fans would likely share a similar outlook to Brogdon’s first season in Green.
Coming off the bench, Brogdon has served as head coach Joe Mazzulla’s reserve leader. Despite playing a career-low 25.4 minutes per game, Brogdon has remained effective. He’s averaging 14.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 48.4% from the field. Brogdon is also on pace to reach a new career-high mark by shooting 46% from 3-point range.
Even Garnett couldn’t help but acknowledge what he’s seen from Brogdon thus far.
“I love your leadership,” Garnett told Brogdon. “… Keep doing what you doing.”
