MarShon Brooks scores 27 in D-League debut

A lot of qualifiers coming out of this performance: 1) it's the D-League, 2) we know MarShon Brooks could score, and 3) it's the D-League.  Let's remember that MarShon was "sent down" to work on his conditioning while the team embarks on a five game road trip out west and more importantly, his defense.  On the surface, the move makes sense.  He's barely cracking the lineup in the bigs and he's far too talented to keep festering on the bench.

But if we're reading between the lines, is Danny fattening up his stat sheet for a trade or does he and Brad Stevens really think that a brief stint in Maine will put MarShon in the right frame of mind to contribute as a Celtic this season?  Let's not forget that Ainge didn't pick up Brooks' option for next season and he hasn't shown anything this season for Stevens to carve out some PT for him.  Many Celtics have benefited from time up in Portland--mainly, Avery Bradley--but when AB was in Maine, he was rehabbing from injury and had years left on his contract.  It was clear that he was in the future plans of the franchise and Ainge was using the sole affiliated Red Claws as a way to get Avery reps before bringing him back up.  With Brooks, he's only a Celtic for the next six months and his fate with the team is still undetermined.  A 27-point outburst makes for a great showcase, but for who?

You can catch the entire game here on YouTube: