Greg Monroe gets his chance to shine against the Hornets

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BOSTON – You never wish an injury on any player, especially someone like Daniel Theis (right hamstring) who is playing some of his best basketball of the season right now.

But his absence opens the door for someone else to step up and get the bulk of his playing time which this month, has been nearly 20 minutes a night.

Brad Stevens didn’t mince words when asked about who would likely get the majority of Theis’ minutes tonight against the Charlotte Hornets.

"Greg (Monroe) will play in that spot,” Stevens said.

Monroe, acquired by the Celtics after agreeing to a buyout with the Phoenix Suns, has appeared in six games for the Celtics, averaging 5.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game.

Expect all of those numbers to spike some tonight.

“One of the things about signing Greg is he provides a unique skillset to our team, but also we’re not overly deep as far as bigs go,” Stevens said. “It’s great to have that extra depth. And it’s a great opportunity for Greg.”

In an interview recently with NBC Sports Boston, Monroe acknowledged he understood that patience was going to be needed on his part when he signed with the Celtics.

“But when my opportunity comes, I’ll be ready to do whatever it is they need from me,” he said. “Like I said, this team has been playing good basketball all year. All I want to do is add to that; that’s all.”

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