For obvious reasons, the Boston Celtics‘ two most notable additions during the 2023 offseason were Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. However, The Athletic’s John Hollinger believes that new Celtics wing Oshae Brissett was one of their more underrated additions
Hollinger explained why he thought Brissett’s addition to the Celtics flew under the radar.
“Brissett…is by far the best chance for Boston to get something above replacement-level production from what is the eighth spot in its rotation at full strength and a more prominent role if any of the top seven are out of the lineup. Despite being a bit undersized for the frontcourt, he mostly played the four in Indiana over the last four seasons, where he held up on the glass (12.0 percent career rebound rate) and showed good defensive awareness in a team concept,” Hollinger wrote in an October 11 story.
Hollinger acknowledged that Brissett has his issues as a shooter, but perhaps playing around Boston’s personnel could help him improve his floor spacing.
“Can he shoot? Aye, there’s the rub. A 34.4 percent career marksman from 3, Brissett would likely need to convert at the upper end of that range to have real gravity on offense, something that might also make life easier for him on the catch-and-goes he seems to like. Perhaps Boston’s talent results in him taking more open shots and boosting the percentages a bit; perhaps, also, the normal improvement from somebody in his mid-20s lets him hit that level.
“Either way, he’s a pretty important player whom absolutely nobody is talking about, someone who has a decent chance of getting minutes in an NBA Finals game this June.”
Brissett is one of the many wings Boston added during the offseason and will surely get his time to prove himself.
Oshae Brissett Praises Celtics’ Second Unit
Before the Celtics took on the Philadelphia 76ers on October 11, Oshae Brissett had some strong praise for the Celtics’ second unit.
“Honestly, I feel like the second unit that we have is super talented and very, very confident. I think that, in itself, holds a lot because we all feel like we have a lot to prove. Going out there and playing the right way with Payton (Pritchard) really running that, I think that we’re looking really good,” Brissett told Amanda Pflugrad of Celtics.com.
Brissett has been getting some shine during the preseason and will fight for a role in the Celtics rotation. Whether he keeps it depends on how he fares.
Analyst Compares Oshae Brissett to Former Celtic
Marc D’Amico of Celtics.com explained why Brissett reminded him of former Celtics lottery pick Aaron Nesmith, who was also known for his energy and hustle during his time with the Celtics.
“Wrote it in a piece I worked on last night: Oshae Brissett’s energy and effort feels a lot like what Aaron Nesmith brought to the table a couple seasons ago, but Brissett is far more seasoned and knows how to use it properly,” D’Amico wrote via his X account on October 9.
Nesmith played for the Celtics from 2020 to 2022 before being traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon. Nesmith and Brissett were teammates during the 2022-23 season, where Nesmith overtook Brissett for his spot.
Matt John covers the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics for Heavy.com. A Massachusetts native, he has covered the NBA since 2018, with stops at FanSided, Basketball News and Basketball Insiders. More about Matt Jon
