Power paint showing by Monroe
Up until now, the Celtics have known Greg Monroe as one of the players most likely to tear them apart in the paint.
Last night, seven games into the center’s new life as a Celtic, they now have a better idea of what he can do for them.
Monroe scored all 14 of his points in the paint on 6-for-9 shooting in the C’s 134-106 win over Charlotte, including the team’s first three possessions in the second quarter when Monroe successfully posted up each time against the Hornets’ Willy Hernangomez.
“I feel like I got into a pretty good rhythm. Coach (Brad Stevens) went to me and I tried to be aggressive,” he said. “He said take your time, get your legs back under you, and tonight I got into a good rhythm that made me more comfortable. Pretty decent game.
“It was fun. I know these fans expect the team to play at a high level, and like I’ve been saying, I just want to come in and enhance what they’ve already got going,” Monroe continued. “It’s been tough for me getting into a rhythm, especially with the situation this year, but it felt good to be out there in the flow of the game, and just be as effective as possible.”
After not making it off the bench during Monday’s win over Memphis, Monroe showed up for an informal, intense workout on Tuesday with two of his rookie teammates — Semi Ojeleye and Abdel Nader.
“Just trying to get into a rhythm, get up to game speed, so I worked with couple of young guys, quicker players,” he said.
Brown off to campus
The discussion has been billed as “One on One with Jaylen Brown: Athlete and Intellectual.” And for the young Celtics star, tonight’s appearance at the Harvard Graduate School of Education is a natural step in the young life of an NBA renaissance man.
Brown taught himself Spanish and is now learning Arabic. Chess is a longtime passion and he plays the piano. He’s as comfortable discussing social issues as he is basketball, which explains why the HGSE faculty was so enthused about scheduling the 20-year-old with one year of college under his belt to speak.
“Obviously, he’s a smart guy and he’s really curious about getting better on the basketball court and a lot of other things,” Stevens said. “I’ve really enjoyed spending time around him. I think he’s really thoughtful. I think he’s a guy that wants to continue to grow in every way.
“We’ve talked about, we want guys in here that are growth oriented and have that mindset. That was clear before we drafted him, just in meeting with him, that he had that.”
Al Horford describes Brown as a teammate who takes “chances.”
“I’m talking about his life in general,” said Horford. “He’s just out there and I feel like even on the court he’s out there trying different things and trying to challenge himself, I feel like to improve. And he’s the kinda guy that he’ll go and chase Klay Thompson around but he will also bang with (Serge) Ibaka or just with a big. That’s just the kind of guy that he is. I think that how he is off the court, it’s on the court, too.
“I don’t think a lot of guys necessarily would do that,” Horford added. “Usually you stay in your comfort zone and once you get to the NBA, there’s a lot of things going on . ... I think Jaylen’s making the most of it.”
Nothing new here
The Celts have until today to sign a free agent and have that player available for the playoffs. But from Stevens’ perspective, the Celtics don’t have much percolating.
“No more. We have had conversations in passing, but nothing of substance,” he said. “We were talking about it (Tuesday), but I don’t see us changing. I don’t see us making any other additions.”