Aron Baynes’ successful gamble will be the Boston Celtics’ loss
By Kane Pitman
A selfless teammate
The interchangeable parts on the Celtics’ roster became vital cogs in their postseason charge to the conference finals. The ability of each team member to play his role and accept change was crucial to success. Aron Baynes was perhaps the greatest exponent of this.
Heading into the playoffs, Baynes had started 55 of the last 58 contests. Yet in Game 1 of the playoffs against Milwaukee, he found himself the odd man out. Both the Celtics and Bucks went small throughout, and after starting and playing the first eight minutes, Baynes was rarely sighted as Stevens went with Horford at the 5.
Prior to Game 3, via The Pick and Roll, Stevens was asked about his role moving forward in the series.
"“He’s truly a guy that does not care, he just wants to win,” Stevens said, “That’s one of the things that I’ve always appreciated about him and we’ve got a locker room full of those guys, and I think his leadership is a big reason why.”"
High praise to be sure, and an insight into how highly regarded Baynes became among this Celtics organization in the space of one season.
After losing his starting role against Milwaukee, Baynes was once again a starter against Philadelphia and Joel Embiid. Then in the conference finals against Cleveland, Baynes was replaced by Marcus Morris, who was tasked with the job of slowing down LeBron James.
Brad Stevens on Aron Baynes: "He is a pro’s pro. He shows up every night. He shows up to play. He’s appreciative of the opportunity to play in the NBA, and to do this for a living, and he’s had a great impact on our team."
— Boston.com Celtics News (@BDCCeltics) April 12, 2018
Through it all, Baynes never once complained, and continued to impact each contest with winning plays.
On and off the court, Baynes is truly a guy every team wants on their roster. Unfortunately, the Celtics are facing the prospect of the Baynes stint in Boston coming to an end after one season.
It’s time for the verdict.