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WALTHAM, Mass. – Dressed in street clothes on the TD Garden sideline Friday night, a resting Al Horford watched in admiration as Greg Monroe stepped into his shoes and filled in as Boston’s go-to playmaker against the Chicago Bulls.
Monroe used Horford’s absence as an opportunity to showcase his passing skills with the Celtics running their offense through him for a good portion of the game. Playing a point-center role, he dished out a season-high 10 assists, to go along with 19 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Celtics to a 111-104 win over the Bulls.
It’s not unusual for Monroe to put up large numbers in the scoring and rebounding departments, but what caught Horford’s eye was his frontcourt mate’s passing numbers. Monroe’s previous game-high assist total with the Celtics was four, but on this occasion, he took his playmaking game to another level.
“There’s no question Greg has that ability,” Horford reflected Saturday afternoon following Celtics practice in Waltham, Massachusetts. “Since the day that he came here, we all knew that he can really pass the ball, really read defenses well. And what Chicago did last night was try to take Terry (Rozier) away by putting pressure on him, and Greg just made the right play, the right decision, every time.”
Sounds like the playmaking IQ of another Celtics big man, doesn’t it?
The performance indeed displayed many similarities between Monroe and Horford, as Celtics coach Brad Stevens noted Saturday afternoon.
“They’re both willing to share it, they move the ball quickly, and they’re both very good in the seams catching and passing,” said Stevens. “I’m sure Monroe was this good of a passer when he was coming out of high school, but probably playing at Georgetown in the Princeton system with all the back-cuts was probably really helpful. He’s a great backcourt passer and he can really thread the needle.”
Monroe’s 10 assists Friday night led to 25 points for the Celtics. Add that to the 19 points he scored himself, and that amounts to a total of 44 points that he helped create during just 28 minutes of play.
Monroe took greater pride in this effort than any previous performance in a Celtics uniform because it perfectly displayed how well-rounded his game truly is.
“I think people can see that I’m a good passer,” said Monroe, who became the first reserve center in NBA history to tally a triple-double on points, rebounds and assists. “That’s something I’ve always taken pride in and something I like doing. It energizes guys when the ball is moving, if you’re making the right play no matter who it is, getting easy buckets, it’s just great for the team in general.”
It's also extremely valuable for the team to have an extra playmaking big heading into the postseason.
“With a guy like (Daniel) Theis out, having a guy like Greg really helps to run the offense through not only me, but also him, and be able to make those passes,” said Horford.
Now, the Celtics have the option of Horford running the offense in the first unit, while Monroe runs it in the second unit. Of course, Boston’s guards will continue to have responsibilities in ball-handling roles as well, but it’s a great asset to have multiple playmaking bigs that can be staggered or play at the same time.
Monroe has been taking on more and more of a ball-handling role over the past week, seeing time running the point during each of the last three games. Expect this trend to continue heading into the Playoffs, where the Celtics will likely utilize the playmaking skills of both of their veteran big men in order to keep opposing defenses on their toes at all times.