The Boston Celtics have gotten some momentum working in their favor and things could be getting better as players return from injuries. Jae Crowder is expected to return after suffering a bone bruise while Marcus Smart is also planning on taking the court on Tuesday which could force Isaiah Thomas back to the bench. Is that the best thing for the Celtics moving forward?
UPDATE: Marcus Smart is not ready to return yet for the game on Tuesday.
According to head coach Brad Stevens via Chris Forsberg of ESPN, both Crowder and Smart will be back in the lineup on Tuesday as starters. That means that Thomas gets pumped back to the bench after he was enjoying his time as the starter. Much has been made about whether or not Thomas should be starting or not. He has been thriving leading the team this season both as a starter and Sixth Man. with Stevens favoring Thomas for a reserve role, the point guard stressed his approach to the game is no different either way.
"There's no difference, honestly," said Thomas, via ESPN.com. "I'm going to be myself and that's be highly aggressive, make plays for not just myself but for my teammates, and go out there and control the game. If I'm starting or coming off the bench, I'm a point guard. I'm a guard that leads this team and makes decisions for this team and you just have to be ready for any opportunity that you get. I'm trying to play as many minutes as possible. I trained in the offseason to be prepared for that and to maximize my time while I'm out there on the floor."
With Smart not expected to have restricted minutes in his return, Thomas is back to fighting for time on the court. Stevens does not expect that to change going forward as he made it clear that the point guard is not what he wants for the first unit and will remain with the reserves. Another player leading the team as both a starter and reserve is Jared Sullinger who has become the Celtics' most reliable big mane right now. The power forward has been thriving on the court to begin the season which is coming at a good time. Sullinger did not sign a contract in the offseason and now forced to audition all season for more money. After facing a lot of trade rumors, Sullinger is proving to be a major asset for the Celtics this year.
"He's really shooting the ball well," Stevens said, via ESPN.com. "He's always been a good face-up shooter, he's shooting it probably even better right now, at least in the last couple of weeks. But he scored in the post, he rebounded. The one thing that you know going in is he's probably our best defensive rebounder. So I thought that he was pretty good."
