Brandon Bass - The Unchanging Rock
Brandon Bass. The silent enforcer. The "Muscle". A Celtic for almost 2 years now, Bass has been one of the more consistent players on the team. Acquired from Orlando in a trade that sent away Glen Davis, Bass has paid off tremendously for the team. He was first put in a role where he was supposed to be a sparkplug off of the bench, but he was moved to the starting lineup and found great success. Brandon Bass is not a superstar, a star, or even an all-star, but he is a role player who has given his all for Boston and is, in my opinion, one of the more underrated players in the league.
Who is Brandon Bass? One of the more intriguing role players in the league, Bass actually has a very solid all-around game that most people do not notice. An absolutely great mid-range shooter, a worse than average rebounder, a good defender (allowed a mere 0.673 points per play, which ranked in the 95th percentile among NBA players, according to Synergy Sports data. Opponents shot a mere 31.8 percent against Bass), and a high energy hustle player.
In addition to his solid shooting off of the catch, he has also shown a limited ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays, using his speed and footwork. He also has a limited but solid post game, utilizing his great strength. Bass is the definition of a solid all-around role player, and has done his best to maximize his strengths and minimized his weaknesses.
But what kind of person is Bass off of the court? He clearly has a good work ethic, as he works hard on his game no matter the circumstance. That big athletic body he possesses? He didn't get that by chance. He works extremely hard at staying in shape. Bass does not seem like he cares about the spotlight. He does not even have a twitter account. Clearly hes no stranger to having fun though, coming up with a very entertaining celebration with Jason Terry.
Brandon's teammates also have very high praise that they heap upon him:
"He comes in, works hard, gets the job done. And off the court you don't hear too much from him. He's just the definition of a professional."-Courtney Lee
"Brandon just wants to be a basketball player"- Doc Rivers
"I'd rather fly under the radar and step up when I need to, as far as communicating. But as far as a game, I want to fly [under the radar], but I want people to respect it, though"-Brandon Bass
Brandon Bass has gotten off to another nice season. He has been very efficient (he is averaging 1.043 points per play, which ranks him in the 83rd percentile among all NBA players, according to Synergy Sports data), maintained his rebounding, and best of all, quiet about his shifting role on the team. Despite Doc throwing him around like a chess piece, Bass has just quietly played his game. He also kept up his trademark energy and hustle, and has not taken a game off mentally yet this season (despite the effort level of some of his teammates not being as high). Bass looks as if he will have another great season yet, being under the radar again, he couldn't even make the all-star ballot over Jeff Green.
Follow Jun Pang on Twitter @CjEuLnTICS
