BOSTON — Even though the Celtics were loaded over the past few seasons with veterans, Jaylen Brown said they still could’ve used a guy like Josh Minott. And for good reason based on Minott’s first three preseason games with the Celtics.

Minott has been an early winner of Celtics preseason thus far as he makes his case for a rotation spot. It’s not necessarily because he’s a prolific scorer, but whenever he’s on the court, Minott has provided a jolt of energy. So while he’s not perfect and knows he must still improve, the early returns have turned heads.

“We’re going to need him to be great all season long,” Brown said. “He’s a long, athletic wing. Something that we kind of could’ve used over the past years or so. Somebody high-energy. Super athletic. We need that. That defensive pressure, intensity. And he’s been showing that he can knock down a shot and he can take a guy off the bounce, as well. So he’s displayed some great talent.”

Minott, 22, was signed by the Celtics early in free agency after spending the first three seasons of his career with the Timberwolves. He has shown flashes during his time in the league, but never enough to crack the rotation. But with the Celtics providing opportunity — especially with Jayson Tatum sidelined — Minott recognized this as a potential make-or-break season for his pro career.

The Celtics, too, needed one of their many young wings to break through in some form this season. They’ve invested recent draft capital in Jordan Walsh (38th overall pick, 2023) and Baylor Scheierman (30th, 2024). But they also brought in Minott after having their eye on him from afar. Minott has seemingly distanced himself for a potential rotation spot so far, though the season is plenty long.

Minott has averaged 12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 53.6% shooting in his three games, though he’ll need to raise his 23.1% 3-point shooting going forward. The rebounding is a potential area where he can help the Celtics consistently as they lack size with some of their lineups. Plus, his energy can be infectious when making those hustle plays that will get the home crowd on its feet.

Of course, there are still teachable moments for Minott. Even though he’s entering his fourth NBA season, he’s still young and now he’s learning a new system with the Celtics. So there will be moments when C’s coach Joe Mazzulla takes him out of games to get in some coaching.

“I usually know why I’m coming out and I just see it as a lesson every time,” Minott said. “We’re just learning. It’s preseason. I understand that it’s a lot of new people and it is trying to just instill that Celtics mentality for those of us that are new.”

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