A second tour of duty for former Celtic Shane Larkin?

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/second-tour-duty-former-celtic-shane-larkin?cid=Yahoo&partner=ya4nbcs




A second tour of duty for former Celtic Shane Larkin?




By A. Sherrod Blakely

May 21, 2019 9:27 AM




BOSTON -- Shane Larkin didn’t get a ton of playing time during his lone season as a Boston Celtic, but more times than not he made the most of those opportunities.

This past season — with a different team in a different country — was no different for the 5-foot-11 guard, who led Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball Super League into the playoffs where he set postseason EuroLeague shooting and scoring records along the way.

It was the kind of performance that’s likely to at least turn a few heads in the NBA that maybe — just maybe — the former first-round pick deserves another shot at returning stateside and playing in the NBA.

With Anadolu Efes, the 26-year-old led them to the EuroLeague Final Four, highlighted by a 30-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist performance in defeating Fenerbahce (the former team of current Celtics Daniel Theis and Brad Wanamaker, with the latter replacing Larkin as the Celtics’ third point guard this past season) in the semi-finals.

Anadolu Efes wound up losing in the EuroLeague final to European powerhouse CSKA Moscow 91-83, but not before Larkin had tallied a Final Four-record 59 points (29 of which came in the loss to CSKA Moscow), which was part of his EuroLeague postseason-record 18 three-pointers.

And that was part of his play in setting another EuroLeague Final Four record with a Player Index Rating of 43. PIR is a common statistical measurement used in European basketball circles to track a player’s overall performance.

Larkin’s strong performances come at a time when the Celtics will surely be looking to add some backcourt depth to a roster that’s likely to look very different next season.

Adding someone familiar with the system is certainly among the considerations Boston will take into account when piecing together their roster going forward.

As mentioned earlier, with most of the Celtics’ point guards hitting free agency this summer, it’s highly unlikely all three will be back next season.

Boston could certainly benefit from a return to the lineup by the 5-foot-11 Larkin, who appeared in 54 games for the Celtics during the 2017-2018 and often provided a nice spark off the bench.

His departure to play overseas was due in part to having a limited role with the Celtics last season, a role that never expanded during the season despite solid play when he was on the floor.

And while one can certainly see the benefits for the Celtics if he were to return, it’s unclear if his role would be any different in a second tour of duty and because of that, there’s legit uncertainty as to whether Larkin would even entertain the idea of coming back.

Regardless of whether he stays overseas, returns to Boston or comes back to the NBA with another team, Larkin’s play this past season in Europe was yet another reminder of what he’s capable of doing when given a shot at having a meaningful role.



bob
MY NOTE: Work hard everyday, listen to the coaches, play your game and keep any dissenting opinions you might have out of the media. Do that and bridges won't be burnt, like I believe Terry Rozier has burned his bridges. Shane Larkin might come back. IT, despite venting initially against Danny, has been completely clear and consistent in his love of Boston, Celtic fans and Brad Stevens. There's a chance he could come back (assuming he still got game, which is problematic at this point) because he has always been there for the team and the fans. Terry Rozier will be gone and will never again be seen in green unless it's Milwaukee Bucks green, in my opinion. Danny has no use, nor the patience I believe, for another Bogans and that's what TRo has become. He's become a Bogans...



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Seems to me Larkin can make more money overseas than he could with the Celtics, since we would not likely offer him anything more than vet minimum.

I can see an easier path for IT to return using the MLE, IF Irving leaves and especially if irving AND Rozier are gone.