Brandon Bass thinks he can do more for the Celtics

Since he arrived in Boston, it has been impossible (for me at least) not to contrast him against his good friend Big Baby Davis - usually favorably. One of the great things about him was the lack of drama and complaining about his role in the offense. I still don't have any problems with Bass and I don't blame him for the following comments. But you can see that there's perhaps a hint of dissatisfaction with his role here.

Brandon Bass staying focused despite being unsure of his role on Celtics - Celtics - Boston.com

Bass is considered a pick-and-pop player, meaning he is best setting screens and then canning jumpers. Such a reputation is difficult to shake, but the 27-year-old Bass wants to be regarded for more than his outside shooting. "I want to [take opponents in the post] but Doc would rather me just pick-and-pop but I want to," Bass said. "That’s part of my game that I’ve always been good at over the years. But I think Doc just wants me to be a pick-and-pop because we already have the guys who do enough isos here, so I guess he don’t want me to be the third or the fourth guy to have the offense stagnant."

These comments were made in the context of explaining that he's worked on different aspects of his game that he wants to be able to show off - including the back to the basket game and rebounding that Jared Sullinger is so often praised for.

I think anyone that's potentially losing their starting position to a rookie is going to feel a little slighted, especially when he's played well during his tenure here. Add in the fact that every reporter is asking him every day about his his role on the team. Everyone is (correctly) excited for the dimensions that Sully brings to the table, but Bass thinks that he can do some of those things as well. He's a hard working guy and he's worked on adding those elements to his game. Who could blame him for sticking up for himself?

Still, at the end of the day, he won't be a big baby. He gets what Doc Rivers is doing and he'll do his job the best he can.

"Keep grinding, with me, it's keep grinding, no matter what," he said. "I make my adjustments no matter what it is. I feel like I can overcome anything. So I just make my adjustments and make the best out of my situation."

Bass just signed a reasonable contract extension this summer and the team is happy to have him on board. They are also happy to have Sully developing faster than they might have projected. These are good problems to have.