Celtics news 365: Greg Monroe’s low-post game stings Hornets

After struggling his first few games with the Boston Celtics, big man Greg Monroe showed off what he could give the team in the C’s 134-106 win over the Charlotte Hornets. 

Greg Monroe’s performance off the bench in Wednesday night’s blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets is exactly what the Boston Celtics and fans envisioned when he was signed a few weeks ago.

After being a healthy scratch in Monday night’s game against Memphis, a re-energized Monroe emerged off the bench to spark the Celtics.  He scored 14 points overall on 6-for-9 shooting and made Hornets big man Willy Hernangomez look non-existent with a strong low-post game.

His performance showed just how patience can pay off, especially when playing for a coach like Brad Stevens.

"“I feel like I got into a pretty good rhythm.  Coach (Brad Stevens) went to me and I tried to be aggressive,” Monroe said following the game, via the Boston Herald.  “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 also a fun game for Greg Monroe, who was just as active defensively and on the boards as he was offensively.  If that rhythm continues for Monroe, the Boston Celtics bench will be a deep and productive one.

It will also give the team the type of flexibility and versatility Stevens envisioned with the signing.

Gordon Hayward in a Celtics jersey 

So, you thought you wouldn’t see Gordon Hayward in a Boston Celtics jersey this season?

Well, it wasn’t in a game situation, but Hayward did appear on the TD Garden floor in a Celtics’ uniform without a limp.

Hayward took part in the annual team photo hours before the team’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets.  And while it was a great image to see, the team still maintains that the star forward will not return to game action this season.

We’ll believe that when we don’t see it.

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Coach’s corner

With Wednesday night’s victory, the Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to 4 games.  Not only has the team looked refreshed and more energized, the offense has been flowing and contributions are coming from everywhere.

Quite the change since the three games heading into the NBA All-Star break.

What exactly has changed?  Head coach Brad Stevens chalks it up to comfort playing with one another.

"“Well I think obviously, when shots go in, everything feels a lot better,” Stevens said following the game.  “We did small changes on actions, we’ve tried to play a little more off of our cutting, but we’re also just getting a lot more comfortable playing together. And that sometimes takes a little bit of time. We had our moments in December where we showed that we’re capable of it, and then we struggled in January and early February, and for whatever reason, in the last four games, we’ve been a little bit better. But we’ve got a really hard game on Saturday and that’s a team that not only gets credit for historically good offense, but they’re also a really good defensive team and they make it really tough to score. So, we’ll have our hands full.”"

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Stevens hopes that continues against the hottest team in the league.  The Boston Celtics will travel to Houston to take on James Harden, Chris Paul and the Rockets Saturday night.