For Mazzulla, it’s about getting everyone to trust and buy in, from the starters to the bench. He often reminds Oshae Brissett why the Celtics signed him to begin with. On February 27, 2022, Brissett torched the Celtics as a member of the Pacers with a team-high 27 points, and six rebounds on 6-9 three-point shooting.
“I keep reminding him we signed him because he hit six threes against us in a game,” said Mazzulla. “He’s been in this league, he’s played on good teams, he’s been coached—he’s just a professional.”
Heading into Friday’s matchup, the Celtics injuries slowly piled up. As expected, Al Horford was granted a rest day on the back end of a back-to-back. Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet were both unavailable with injuries. With that said, Oshae Brissett was well prepared and ready for his moment and by the end of the night, it was a huge sigh of relief for #12.
“I’m always ready for the opportunity. We had a couple of guys down, so I knew it was going to come. I just didn’t know when,” Brissett told NBC Boston’s Abby Chin postgame.
Prior to Boston’s victory over Orlando, Brissett has only appeared in eight regular season matchups, with a season high five points scored against the Brooklyn Nets on November 14th. Continuing to work hard every single day with the second unit, Brissett received a long-waited opportunity. In 16 minutes, the C’s forward put up 11 points, one assist, and one rebound on 100 % field goal shooting.
Around the seven-minute mark into the second quarter, the forward received applause from the crowd at the Garden. When that happens, you know you’re doing something right.
The box score doesn’t truly reveal all that a player does on the court. Sure, 11 points is great, but Brissett shined in many other ways. Out of those 16 minutes, he played a good chunk of them in the fourth quarter.
With that said, Brissett played up to expectations, and locked Franz Wagner up on several occasions. Without a big man in drop coverage, the Celtics switched to a smaller defensive lineup. With that, Brissett did an excellent job of showcasing backdoor cuts, and utilizing his speed.
The best part? You get looks when you share the court with Jayson Tatum. Just his presence alone opened up a baseline cut for Brissett. Playing the passing lanes on defense turned into offense, and he was able to secure a key bucket from a monstrous offensive board.
When it comes to Brissett, he plays with grit and confidence. Sure, he racked up four fouls, and illegally rolled into some screens. He got burned defensively in the zone by Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac a few times. While unsuccessful on some several box outs and rebounds, he was always crashing the boards with force.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla loves the grind and excitement from the bench players. Remember the time he gave Dalano Banton an earful for not hustling? Mazzulla expects 110 percent from his players, no matter what their role is. The hustle and the grind is all part of the process, and the expectations are linear from the top down. We saw all of this from Brissett on Friday.
And this was a true test for Brissett and the bench, who scored the second most points in a game this season. They weren’t matched up against the Pistons or Wizards. The Magic are an extremely physical team, and Brissett showed why he belongs on this roster. Franz Wager is very an extremely physical player, and having the footwork to stay in front of him speaks volumes.
Soaking in all the minutes, the crowd at the TD Garden went into a frenzy after Brissett hit the corner three after a Neemias Queta offensive board. The play even had Al Horford in excitement off the bench.
Keeping his confidence has been key for the forward. “Just try to stay confident in myself,” Brissett said. “I’ve always been confident in my jump shot. Any chance I get to shoot, I shoot with confidence — that’s what Joe [Mazzulla] has been telling me from the summer time.”
While he didn’t play for nearly three weeks, Brissett knows what he brings to the table, and was excited for a chance in the lineup.
“Every now and then it’s good to throw a little change in there,” said Brissett. “I know what I can bring to the table, and that’s energy and excited to be out there with these guys.”
