Can Malcolm Brogdon be the missing piece in Celtics’ title quest?

Forsberg: Malcolm Brogdon is determined to be Celtics’ missing piece originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Malcolm Brogdon heard it repeatedly after last summer’s surprising trade that delivered him to Boston: The Celtics had found their missing piece.

Less than a month after coming up short against the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 Finals, the Celtics acquired Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a package headlined by Aaron Nesmith, Daniel Theis, and a 2023 first-round pick (slotted at No. 29 after Boston finished with the second-best record in basketball this season).

The popular post-trade spin was that the Celtics had gotten a player who, if he had been on the roster last season, could have helped them finish off the quest for Banner 18.

So how did that land with Brogdon? Did it add motivation? Pressure?

“All of the above. I heard that term a lot. I’ve continued to hear it,” said Brogdon. “There’s definitely motivation in it because you want to be the missing piece. You want to be the piece that helps them get over the hump. But there’s also pressure associated with it, that comes with it. Which is expected but I embrace it.”

The Brogdon acquisition has worked out well for both sides. The Celtics essentially moved a collection of bench pieces that they couldn’t confidently lean on during last year’s postseason run, and parlayed them into maybe the best reserve in basketball and someone that could be vital to this year’s playoff success.

Brogdon embraced that backup role and made all 67 of his appearances off the bench. His playing time dropped 8.5 minutes per game from his career high two seasons ago in Indiana where he was one of the faces of that team. The downturn in play helped Brogdon, nagged by injuries throughout his basketball career, stay on the court for 67 games — the most since his Rookie of the Year season in 2017.

Brogdon was named the 2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year on Thursday. He beat out New York’s Immanuel Quickley in…