The Celtics Have Reportedly agreed to a 10-Day Contract With Greg Monroe

Tom Westerholm
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The Celtics have reportedly agreed to a 10-day contract with Greg Monroe.




The Boston Celtics acquired Greg Monroe last season for the postseason push, and he gave them some valuable minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

Now, it seems, the Celtics are gearing up for another postseason push by giving Monroe another shot on the roster. According to the Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Celtics have agreed to a 10-day contract with the big man.


Shams Charania

@ShamsCharania
Free agent center Greg Monroe has agreed to a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

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6:01 PM - Mar 22, 2019


Monroe averaged 19.1 minutes and 10.2 points per game for the Celtics last season. Those numbers dropped to 9.5 minutes and 4.8 points per game during the postseason, but he scored 12 and 15 points in Games 2 and 3 respectively during Boston’s seven-game victory over the Bucks in round one. In Game 3, he tallied a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double.


Monroe started the 2018-19 season with the Toronto Raptors, but he remained a popular figure with the Celtics players whenever the Celtics and Raptors matched up.

The Celtics, of course, are not committed to keeping Monroe on the roster for the playoffs. But he might have a real opportunity to earn minutes -- the Celtics will be without Aron Baynes on Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets after he sprained his ankle against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, and Baynes might be on a minutes limit as he continues to recover even if he does play against the Spurs on Sunday.

The Celtics have also been experimenting with two-big lineups featuring Al Horford and Baynes, likely in preparation for a first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. If Monroe can provide anything resembling quality minutes, and especially if he can provide quality minutes alongside Horford, the Celtics might very well bring him back for the postseason. Boston has one open roster spot and essentially no playing time for any guards or wings available on the buyout market.

The acquisition of Monroe is a surprise, to be sure, and his lumbering style doesn’t fit Boston’s defensive schemes particularly well (he certainly is not a switchable big man like Horford, or even Baynes to an extent). But Monroe provides the Celtics with some potential, and -- with Baynes out for the immediate future -- he might even fill a need.


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