Celtics Praise Bench Piece Who Embodied ‘Momentum’ Vs. Heat

There wasn’t a ton of fanfare when Oshae Brissett signed with the Boston Celtics this offseason.

Brissett, a four-year veteran who found a role with the Indiana Pacers over the past few years, was inked to a modest two-year deal by Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens during the summer. It was expected he’d compete for minimal minutes off the bench, but that might change after Boston saw what he can bring to the table.

Brissett saw his first game action with the Celtics in Friday’s win over the Miami Heat at TD Garden, making a considerable impact in his first minutes.

“He didn’t play in Game 1 and he changed the game,” Mazzulla said Friday, per Darren Hartwell of Yahoo Sports. “That, to me, is what momentum is all about. He came in, he made a significant impact, and he did his job at a high, high level.

“We have to get to a point where what he did is just as important as what the other guys have done tonight, and he helped us win.”

Brissett didn’t have an impressive showing in the box score, but his hustle had a clear impact on Boston’s overall energy in a first quarter where they came out flat. He finished with just two points, five rebounds and no assists, but was a plus-seven in a game the Celtics won by eight points. In short, he changed the game.

“He was the sole reason that we got back into the game, and I told him that,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said, per Hartwell. “He came right in and we were kind of flat. His energy, his offensive rebounding, him giving us second- and third-chance opportunities was big. And that’s his job.

“For him to come to do that (after) not playing last game, to come in today and give us this spark to turn the game around was huge, and that’s what I love about our team.”

The 25-year-old isn’t exactly going to be competing for starters minutes, but he could very well find a legitimate role off the bench. The Celtics didn’t have a high-energy player like Brissett coming off the bench last season, as Grant Williams was a classic three-and-D guy, while the likes of Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard provided a scoring spark.

If Brissett can continue being that spark, he’ll have a real role.