Richardson a versatile weapon
Veteran can score & bring energy off bench
As evidenced by Ime Udoka’s second half rotations on Friday night in Utah, the Celtics lineup may only be starting to show its versatility.
CELTICS NOTEBOOK
And Josh Richardson, who came off the bench with an 11-point performance and a surge of defensive energy in the Celtics’ late loss to the Jazz, continues to show his across the board value.
“I think I just bring a good spark off the bench. Either way, whichever way the game is going, I think when I come on the court I can kind of sway it in our favor, whether it’s on offense or defense or just like diving on the floor,” said the veteran wing player. “I can be better being a little more consistent with my aggressiveness on offense and just keep knocking my threes down at a higher clip. I think I can be doing a better job there.”
Richardson’s value will continue to be highlighted as Jaylen Brown follows a gradual comeback from continued stiffness in his right hamstring. Brown missed his second straight game Saturday night in Portland due to the issue.
“A little bit, but not too much,” Richardson said of how his role changes when Brown is out. “We have so many pieces on this team, but yeah I think it definitely changes a little bit from when it’s usually Jaylen or (Jayson Tatum) on the court, so that’s most of the offense. So now it’ll just be JT and we’ll have to bridge that gap.”
Brown misses Portland game
Richardson understands the challenge facing Brown’s return to action.
“Any muscular injury is super touchy. You never know when it’s all the way ready,” Richardson said of hamstring injuries, in particular. “You can always tweak it again, knock on wood. But yeah it’s tough having Jaylen out because he’s a big part of what we want to do. But when he comes back I think the guys did a good job of fitting him back in and helping him find his spots. But I think he did a good job. I think he brought good energy. I saw him kind of grab at it a couple of times but that’s natural for your first game back from a hamstring.” ...
Al Horford also sat out the Portland game with lower back soreness. Romeo Langford, who wasn’t able to finish the Utah game after twisting his right ankle, was listed by the team as questionable for Saturday night.
The Celtics history channel
Few if any NBA teams can stock a virtual museum better than the Celtics, which is exactly what they have done by launching Bostoncelticshistory.com.
The site includes a host of items and classic video from the organization, which like the league itself turns 75 this season.
Varied rotations
Count Horford among those encouraged by the Celtics’ ability to juggle lineups — in Friday’s case starting Grant Williams instead of Rob Williams in the second half to further spread the floor and drag Rudy Gobert out from the paint.
“I think this game kind of showed us that the potential, some of the things that we can do,” said Horford. “There were times that we were switching one through five in the fourth. Other times we started playing back a little bit. That hurt us, that’s when we started giving up some lobs to Gobert. But in general, I think with all the different lineups it shows how versatile we can be with this group that we have and be effective.”