Shane Larkin Finals MVP in Turkish League - will we hear "Shane, come back" to Boston?


The Celtics grabbed two little guys, Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters, in the recent NBA draft, but another one may now be available. Former Celtic, Shane Larkin, just finished leading his Turkish League team, Anadolu Efes, to a Championship - and he won the Finals MVP award. With Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier's possible (probable?) departure, veteran guard help is needed, and Shane has been here before.


Larkin is still only 26 years old, so the timeline fits with Danny Ainge's rebuild-on-the-fly that will apparently happen. There are certainly other free agent vets out there that could fill that roster spot at the point guard position, but if that fails, we may hear Ainge yelling, "Shane, come back." (per CelticsWire's Justin Quinn):

Larkin, who signed with the Anadolu after leaving Boston’s 2017-18 “Hospital Celtics” with a shoulder injury sustained in Game 4 of the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Philadelphia 76ers, logged the second-best performance ever in the Turkish League.

Boston, who still control his rights as an NBA player, could potentially be a logical landing place in the wake of impending free agent Kyrie Irving’s exit should no bigger-name free agent be available in the first week or so of NBA summer free agency.

At 26-years-old, he fits the age curve of the youth movement, knows the system and many of the remaining players, and could likely be had for a portion the mid-level exception. Although the team selected multiple guards in the 2019 NBA Draft, neither are a lock to make the team and only one (if either) is likely to see significant time in regular season games.

In Shane's lone season in Boston, he averaged only about 14 minutes per game, and should he return here, I doubt that number would increase significantly. In his final game for Efes, he notched 38 points, three rebounds and four assists. Against tougher NBA competition, we would not be seeing that level of scoring, but he always added energy and excitement when he took the court for the Celtics. There are worse back-up plans. We may yet hear Danny calling, "Shane, come back!"



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Photo via Associated Press
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