Boston Celtics: 3 players team needs step up with Gordon Hayward out

Brad Wanamaker

In his second season with the Boston Celtics, Brad Wanamaker has been a pleasant surprise off the team’s bench. Appearing in 71 games, the 31-year-old averaged 6.9 points per game, shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from behind the arc. With Gordon Hayward gone, the team will need him to take his scoring up a notch off the bench.

With Marcus Smart likely moving into the starting lineup, Wanamaker becomes Boston’s sixth man, and the team will need him to act as so. The Celtics are a team that relies heavily on their starting lineup to score the ball, and with 17.5 points per game now missing from Hayward, Wanamaker will need to try and make up for some of that in his increased minutes.

Wanamaker upped his game in the seeding games, averaging 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game, making his presence felt for Boston off the bench. However, in their first playoff game, the guard played a mere 10 minutes, scoring four points on 2-for-3 shooting from the field. They will almost certainly give the guard more playing time due to circumstances, and he deserves it after turning some heads this season with some stellar play off the bench.

If so, Brad Wanamaker is a name that NBA fans will get acquainted with reasonably quickly as the season continues.