When bench guys get their chance to shine
With the Celtics having tons of regular season success over the years, the final games of the season don’t normally hold any real playoff implications. This opens the door for some of the bench guys to get a chance to play while the starters rest for the playoffs. There have been some memorable performances from Boston bench guys in years past so let’s revisit them.
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2024 Svi Mykhailiuk and Payton Pritchard vs. Wizards
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In the final game of the regular season in 2024, the Celtics had already locked up the first seed in the Eastern Conference long before Game 82. This game was a tribute to long time Celtics broadcaster Mike Gorman as he was retiring at the end of the year.
In only his fifth start of the season, Payton Pritchard had a huge game with 38 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds, on 15-21 shooting from the field and 4-6 from three. This was Pritchard’s career high at the time and for the second year in a row, he would have 30+ points in the final game of the season.
Svi Mykhailiuk got his second start of the season as well and made the most of it as he scored 26 points with 5 assists and 5 rebounds on 10-13 shooting and 6-8 from three. Mykailiuk’s game was punctuated by a monster ally-oop slam he had on the Wizards’ Anthony Gill.
Mykhailiuk would sign a 4 year, $15 million contract with the Utah Jazz in the offseason after the Celtics won the championship and I can’t help but think this game was a great showcase of his skills.
2023 Sam Hauser vs. Raptors
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In a game where the Celtics starters played, it was Sam Hauser that stole the show in the second to last game of the 2023-24 season. Hauser exploded for an at the time career high 26 points, and 5 rebounds on 10-16 shooting from the field and 6-12 from beyond the arc.
This game was not remembered for his great shooting performance, but the introduction to “Slam Hauser” that really got everyone excited. Hauser had three dunks in this game which was a really big surprise at the time. The third dunk was the most memorable as after he had the Celtics bench going crazy on the sideline.
2023 Sam Hauser, Mike Muscala, and Payton Pritchard vs. Hawks
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The final game of the 2022-23 season was even crazier than the one before it as the Celtic had three players finish with over 25+ points in this matchup with the Atlanta Hawks. Payton Pritchard was the leading scorer in this game and racked up his first career triple-double with 30 points, 11 assists, and 14 rebounds as he shot 10-21 from the field and 9-16 from three.
The second player to have a big game was Mike Muscala as he scored 27 points and grabbed 8 rebounds on 9-13 shooting and 4-7 from three. Muscala was acquired by the Celtics at the 2023 trade deadline for more depth and shooting coming off of the bench at the center position. He would end up being traded in the offseason to the Washington Wizards as a part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal.
The third and final player to have a great game was Sam Hauser who followed up his 26-point performance against the Raptors with another 26-point performance against the Hawks along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds on 9-16 shooting and 8-14 from three. This matched Hauser’s career high in points set in the game prior and ended the 2023 season with the vibes at an all-time high.
2019 RJ Hunter vs. Wizards
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RJ Hunter was the 28th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics and didn’t have the most memorable career, bouncing around with 3 different teams in 4 seasons, but it was his final game in his second stint in Boston that would be remembered the most.
After the Celtics signed Hunter to a two-way contract in January of 2019, he got his only NBA appearance of the season in Boston’s final game against the Wizards. He took full advantage of this opportunity and scored 17 points off the bench on 6-13 shooting. That included 10 points in the fourth quarter alone including a dagger three would seal the win.
This ended up being R.J. Hunter’s last game in the NBA but his basketball continued for a couple more years after in China and Australia. Then in October of 2024, he signed on to be a volunteer assistant coach for Tulane University’s basketball team where his father, Ron Hunter, is the head coach.
2018 Aron Baynes vs. Nets
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Aron Baynes had a solid career with the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons before signing with the Celtics before the 2018 season. He was a solid backup big for Boston, but the last of the 2018 regular season would be his best. Baynes dropped an at the time career high 26 points on the Brooklyn Nets alongside 14 rebounds on 12-23 shooting.
After this impressive game, Baynes would be an integral part of the 2018 Celtics team that ended up being one win shy of a trip to the NBA Finals. He would play one more season for Boston in 2019 before going to Phoenix, Toronto, and finally back to Australia where he would retire in 2024.
2015 Gigi Datome vs. Bucks
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Gigi Datome was playing in the Euroleague and in Italy for a decade before signing with the Detroit Pistons in 2013 and then one season later was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2015 alongside Jonas Jerebko in exchange for Tayshaun Prince.
In only 18 games for Boston, Datome would quickly become a fan favorite but also play a similar reserve role off the bench. That was until he got his first career NBA start in the final game of the 2015 season against the Milwaukee Bucks and he showed out, scoring a career high 22 points on 9-15 shooting.
Gigi Datome played in three more playoff games for the Celtics in 2015 before going back to the Euroleague for the 2016 season. He would continue to play overseas for the last eight seasons of his basketball career until he retired after representing Italy in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.