The Celtics are in need of a savior. With Jaylen Brown sidelined, they are woefully undermanned against the star-studded Nets, turning to sparks of hope wherever they can find them.
Enter Jabari Parker?
The former No. 2 overall pick has been an enigma so far in Boston. Despite the Celtics' depleted front court, he seldom played down the stretch, only finding the floor in four of their final 11 games (counting the play-in contest).
So it was staggering to see Parker out there for 22 minutes Saturday, and even more surprising to see the forward contribute. For a few fleeting moments, Parker flashed his first-round talent. At one point, he even had more points than Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
That did not lost for long, obviously, as Durant and Irving combined for 61 points in Brooklyn's 103-94 win. But Parker temporarily owned the night. He hit an easy three with 9:20 remaining in the second quarter, showing off his fluid stroke. The Celtics went 9-of-17 from beyond the arc in the first half.
Parker's most impressive sequence came late in the third quarter, when he stripped the ball from Durant, and then followed with a dunk on the other end. Parker finished with 9 points on 3-of-6 shooting.
"I think Jabari showed himself well," Stevens told reporters after the game.
You're starting a team today.
— Andrew Sharp (@andrewsharp) May 23, 2021
Would you rather have KD, Kyrie and Harden, or Jayson Tatum, Brad Stevens and Jabari Parker?
To make this a series, the Celtics are going to need some contributions from their various role players. Fortunately, the bench was a positive Saturday. In addition to Parker's outing, Robert Williams III put forth a historic defensive performance, blocking nine shots.
But as Williams said afterwards, his performance "doesn't mean s—" if the Celtics lose. Parker's nine-point effort was a nice surprise. But Boston is going to need him to contribute for the rest of the series.
Brad Stevens has a history of milking solid performances from previously discarded veterans, namely Evan Turner. Maybe it's time to add Parker to the list. For a brief period Saturday, he was living up to his first round status, and everyone noticed.
