After years of dealing with playing NBA basketball without the requisite spacing needed in the modern NBA, the Boston Celtics have truly assembled a lethal offense comprised of players who can hit an open shot and then some at a level perhaps never before seen on their roster.
With players like Grant Williams, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard bringing the fire off of the bench and the offensive system transforming players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and even Marcus Smart knocking down 3s at a high level, Boston has become the team to beat in 2022-23.
And in a recent look at the best shooters in the league this season, new addition Malcolm Brogdon has come in fifth overall per a new assessment by Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale.
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“Scorching-hot above-the-break marksmanship suggests that Malcolm Brogdon may continue climbing up this list,” writes Favale.
“He’s shooting 50.8% on non-corner 3s—the second-highest mark in the league among 280 players who have uncorked at least 15 of these triples (For funsies: Al Horford ranks first. Holy hell, the Boston Celtics are loaded.) Settling back into more of a complementary pump-and-go role has looked gruh-eat on Brogdon. But Boston’s offense has been thermonuclear in part because he can diversify his wet work to include the occasional stop-and-pop jumper.”
“Among 127 players who have launched at least 50 pull-ups this season, Brogdon’s 58.3 effective field-goal percentage ranks fourth, trailing only Donovan Mitchell, Desmond Bane(!), and He-Who-Must-Not-Yet-Be-Named,” adds the B/R analyst.
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 9, 2022
Even those of us who live and die by the eye test alone can’t deny the impact Brogdon has been having on games when he checks into a contest, his floor generalship, and lethal cutting and particularly shooting devastating opponents’ second units.
While he has some stiff competition to win 2023 Sixth Man of the Year, this kind of offensive prowess will go a long way toward cementing his case.
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 10, 2022
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