BOSTON – When it came time to pick a team to sign with, Greg Monroe had some options. Ultimately it came down to taking his talents closer to home, or to a title contender.
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Monroe picked door number two, with the Boston Celtics edging out the Harvey, LA native's hometown team, the New Orleans Pelicans.
An eight year veteran, Monroe doesn’t mince his words when talking about how important it is at this stage of his career, to play for a team that’s not just a playoff-caliber club, but one with the potential to go deep into the playoffs.
He got a taste of the postseason life for the first time last season with Milwaukee.
In six postseason games, Monroe averaged 13.2 points along with 7.3 rebounds while shooting 52.9 percent from the field.
The 6-foot-11 center made his Celtics debut at Washington on Thursday, scoring five points to go along with six rebounds in 20 minutes on the floor.
Boston Celtics
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was pleased with the job that Monroe did, well aware that there’s still a lot that he has to learn about his new teammates, and them about Monroe.
Being the new guy, Monroe knows there’s a balancing act of sorts he has to walk between being a contributor without stepping on any toes in the process.
“For sure,” said Monroe, adding, “Especially in a situation like this.”
Boston comes into tonight’s game with a 40-16 record which is tops in the Eastern Conference and third overall in the NBA.
Monroe has never been part of a team this highly regarded in terms of their play or record.
He admits part of his thinking in coming to Boston is, “making sure (I) don’t mess up anything.”
That seems unlikely when you consider his strengths – scoring in the post, passing, and decent interior defense – are all qualities Boston can’t have enough of coming off its bench.
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And in doing so, Monroe will find himself back in the postseason for the second year in a row.
He can’t wait.
“It’s exciting,” Monroe said of being in the playoffs. “Last year I was able to play in it. The atmosphere was great. So, I’m looking forward to getting back there again.”