Fans of the Boston Celtics may have seen a clip of two way big man Mfiondu Kabengele working out with star wing Jaylen Brown, and according to the former, it was Brown’s idea to help out the new addition to Boston’s frontcourt. “I didn’t even ask him,” said Kabengele in a recent interview with the Athletic’s Jared Weiss. “I’m very thankful because I really care and I want to help (us) win.”
“I asked him a lot about pick-and-roll angles, how I should roll and what I should look for,” he added. “It is a little selfish, but I want to roll so I can be a threat as well.” The Florida State product may think it selfish to become a better player in the system of the team that signed him.
But, it is the very sort of selfishness both parties need. Noting he took his time getting a feel for the team culture before asking for help finding his role, Kabengele explained how he’s approaching the game differently now. “I’m not the same person I was in my rookie year, or even last year when I was in the G League,” he related.
Celtics Lab 145: Honoring Bill Russell’s legacy and talking Boston basketball with Rep. Ayanna Pressley https://t.co/bQdqt3EZPB
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 7, 2022
“Everybody can jump, everybody can do this, so I wasn’t thinking as much as I wanted to,” Kabengele noted. “In the pros, everyone’s more intelligent.”
“They’re not reactive like other leagues, they’re very poised. So now that I’m thinking the game and feeling it more, I feel like things are opening up for me a little bit better.”
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