There was Terry Rozier, delivering dizzying crossover dribbles that set up open jumpers, soon followed by defenders he then beat to the rim for easy scores.
“I felt like I was in college a little bit,” Rozier told reporters Wednesday night.
The second-year guard is a long way from his days at Louisville, but make no mistake about it.
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His basketball education is ongoing, but on Wednesday it was Rozier and rookie Jaylen Brown teaching the Orlando Magic a lesson as Boston pulled away for a 117-87 victory.
Playing without Isaiah Thomas (right groin), Rozier came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points.
And Brown, whose hustle and above-the-rim play energized the Celtics most of the night, had 13 points which included a powerful, poster-worthy dunk over an unsuspecting Nikola Vucevic.
"I didn't expect to dunk, nor did I expect him to jump," Brown told reporters after the game. "When it happened, I was just as surprised as everyone else."
The Celtics (13-9) were pleased with the victory which included contributions from several players.
But there was added pleasure for the veteran Celtics in watching their youthful teammates step up and play well.
“It’s hard as a young player to come in and find yourself on a team,” Boston’s Al Horford told reporters after the win. “And those guys are really hard workers. As the season goes on, they’ll become more comfortable with what we’re trying to do.”
We have seen Brown put in positions where he was given an opportunity to make a major impact.
His first NBA start came against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Boston lost 128-122 to the Cavs, but Brown had a career-high 19 points, five rebounds and three steals.
Brown said when he’s on the floor with Rozier, the two have a very specific agenda.
“Me and Terry get in, we talk to each other and say, ‘we gotta run,’” Brown said. “That’s our focus; we’re young. We try to get up and down the floor. It makes the game easier for us.”
The Celtics' second unit has been in a constant state of change most of this season due to the number of injuries sustained by the preferred starting five.
So getting more consistent play from the team’s youngsters like Rozier and Brown is huge for this team going forward especially if they will be without Thomas for multiple games which is a possibility.
“It was a great opportunity; they seized it,” Horford said. “Moving forward, if they play like they did tonight; defense first, confident, I feel like there will be plenty of more opportunities to show what they have.”