After the Celtics’ disappointing 89-80 at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, Brad Stevens did not have many good things to say about the team’s performance.
He did, however, have praise for one member of the team: Shane Larkin.
“As I said to the TV people before the game, Shane’s been a great pickup for us,” Stevens said. “There’s no question what Shane Larkin’s going to give you when he goes in.”
Larkin had eight points off the bench in the matchup, along with three rebounds and two steals.
Larkin was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the eighteenth overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, and was shipped to Dallas on that same night. After one season in Dallas, Larkin was sent to the New York Knicks in a trade.
When his one season coming off the bench in New York came to a close, Larkin decided to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. A less-than-impressive year there ended for Larkin, and he was forced to go overseas in order to play. He signed with Baskonia of the Spanish League, where his performance was good enough to receive an offer from the Celtics.
This season, Larkin has provided a spark off the bench for the Celtics.
Offensively, he has provided multiple games in double-figures. Defensively, he has provided multiple games with two or more steals. He is allowing Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart to rest, and still challenging teams.
After not being in the league one year ago, Shane Larkin is proving to be a fantastic bench player this year, and it will be interesting to see how he progresses in the future.
