NBA Notebook: The turning point in the Celtics' topsy-turvy season

The Boston Celtics have won four of their last five games with a slew of factors contributing to the recent run of success. 

But the most compelling moment in Boston’s potential turnaround this season came away from the court.

And it was fitting that it occurred after yet another trial-by-fire moment once again had the Celtics trying to fight off adversity. 

They had just come off a humbling loss at home to the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Jaylen Brown pulled Jayson Tatum aside to talk, initiating the kind of conversation that served as yet another reminder that any hopes of this team getting out of what has been a season-long rut of inconsistent play cocooned by one disappointing loss after another, had to start with them. 

Since then, Boston has won back-to-back games to cap off their longest homestand of the season, the last of which featured Tatum becoming the youngest player in franchise history to score 50 or more points in a game.

In those two wins, Brown has averaged 29.0 points per game to provide the kind of 1-2 punch former Celtics assistant Micah Shrewsberry saw up close and personal on a daily basis. 

When both players came into the NBA, Shrewsberry was the assistant coach on the Celtics’ staff that worked closely with them. 

The chemistry between them was evident early on, even though they have a number of similar basketball traits which often lead to players trying to one-up the other. 

“You see it a lot in teams,” Shrewsberry told BostonSportsJournal.com. “There’s a lot of NBA teams that have been derailed because of jealousies. Those two guys celebrate each other’s accomplishments. That’s pretty rare for two guys similar in how they play, where they’ve been drafted. They’re both around the same age. It’s pretty rare to see the camaraderie between two high-level players like that.

Shrewsberry added, “That speaks to who they are as people, how they were brought up and speaks to … how much they want to win. They need each other. They can both be great individually, but they need each other to have a lot of team success.”

And just as we saw them openly challenge one another leading up to February’s All-Star game, Shrewsberry recalls that being part of their competitive nature during practices and one-on-one sessions. 

“They were always competing to get better and had each other to push,” said Shrewsberry, who was recently named Penn State’s head coach. “Let’s try and one-up each other to make each other better. Instead of having jealousy, let’s push each other to be great. These two dudes are special.”

We’ve seen it in flashes all season. It’s important that they both continue to lead this team both in terms of their play and presence as leaders if the Celtics are going to successfully navigate out of what has been a season full of disappointment. 

JARED SULLINGER SIGHTING

The basketball comeback of Jared Sullinger continues.

Sullinger, a former first-round pick of the Boston Celtics who hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2016-2017 season, now plays for Anyang KGC in South Korea’s top league. 

With Anyang KGC, Sullinger is averaging a team-high 26.3 points per game to go with 11.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point range and 51.4 percent from the field. 

While it’s unclear if the 29-year-old will get another shot in the NBA, Sullinger has seemingly committed himself to make the necessary changes to his body that show in his play of late.

“It was never about talent with him,” said an Eastern Conference scout. “He’s a really good, really skilled big man which is what everyone wants in the NBA these days. But he didn’t take care of the little things, like his conditioning, weight, that kind of stuff. I hope he gets another shot.”

NUGGETS BIG TRADE DEADLINE WINNERS WITH GORDON ADDITION

There are no awards for the best trade deadline deal, but if there were the Denver Nuggets would have to be the odds-on favorite. Since they acquired Aaron Gordon from Orlando, the Nuggets have been damn near unbeatable.

Denver has run the tables since the Gordon trade, giving Boston Celtics a strong “If only …” feeling, reminded that the Celtics were heavily involved in trade talks for Gordon which at one point reportedly had Boston as the front-runner for his services. 

With the Nuggets, Gordon has averaged 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 58.1 percent from the field 

Instead, Boston wound up striking a deal for Gordon’s Orlando teammate Evan Fournier who struggled early on with his shot only to now find himself struggling to get back on the court after being placed in the team’s Health & Safety protocol program. 

WELCOME BACK I.T.

The Isaiah Thomas that Celtics fans will always remember for that magical postseason run he led the Celtics on in 2017, is no longer here. Injuries and lack of opportunities have left him in the role of spectator more than anyone anticipated. 

Well, the two-time All-Star is back, now with the New Orleans Pelicans on a 10-day-contract that’s set to expire on Tuesday. 

In his first two games with the Pelicans, Thomas averaged 10.5 points and 2.5 assists in 22 minutes per game, shooting 32.0 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from 3-point range. 

While there were some who believed the 32-year-old guard might never play again in the NBA, Thomas’ confidence remained strong throughout.

"I think with me and the mindset, if you ever have doubt, you shouldn't be doing anything that you're doing,” Thomas told reporters. “Obviously I'm human and some days it was hard to get up than others and continue to work without seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But I have the utmost faith and the utmost confidence in myself. Things have never been easy for me, why would they start now?"

Thomas, the 60th and final pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings, has built a career out of defying the odds. The 5-foot-9 guard is a career 18.1 points per game scorer in 10 NBA seasons.