BOSTON – All of the Los Angeles Lakers were headed to the bus when their Thursday morning shoot-around was over; that is, except for one player.
It was ex-Celtic Brandon Bass, shooting baseline jumpers, working on spin moves, putting in extra work on his game.
That seemingly never-ending work ethic is the legacy Bass left behind that in many ways still reverberates throughout this roster.
“I really like Brandon; I’m very fond of Brandon,” said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. “He really worked hard and helped get this thing going in the right direction with his work ethic, the way he took care of his body, the example he set for his young teammates.”
Bass says he never thinks about his legacy with the Celtics, a franchise he played with for four (2011-2015) seasons, until he’s told what others like Stevens have said about him since he left.
“It lets you know that you’ve been appreciated,” Bass said. “It’s good for you to hear some things like that; for you to continue to build on in your career, your life, kind of that extra motivation to keep going and inspire others.”
Just like it was in Boston, Bass is charged with doing a lot of the not-so-glamorous work with the Lakers (5-27) who come in with the second-worst record in the NBA.
The 6-foot-8 Bass is a reserve who finds himself often being asked to play center.
While it is a relatively new position for Bass, he approaches it no differently than when he was charged with becoming a better defender.
In fact, there were times when the Celtics had him guard some of the game’s elite scorers like Cleveland's LeBron James and New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony.
“I play whatever,” Bass said. “They could put me and point guard and I could make it work.
He added, “I’m the type of guy that’s not going to lay down under no circumstances. Whatever position, I’m going to play it and give my best effort.”
And you see that in games whenever he’s given an opportunity to play.
But what’s not seen are days like this, when he’s in the gym with no other players around, working on his game to make sure when the opportunity to help his team arrives, he’ll be ready.
And while he didn’t have the kind of career in Boston that will last the test of time, for this current cast of Celtics Bass will be one of the players who will not be forgotten anytime soon.
“I’m really thankful that he was here with us,” Stevens said.