PORTLAND, Ore. — When the Celtics tinkered with the depth of their roster at the trade deadline, they had to part ways with a pair of players in the “Stay Ready” bench group. That included reserve guard Dalano Banton, who was shipped to the Trail Blazers to keep the 15th roster spot still open.
The trade ended up being mutually beneficial for both sides. Banton didn’t crack the C’s rotation, but he was part of a bench group that’s worked hard together behind the scenes. Now with the Blazers and playing some impressive ball, Banton credited that mantra as part of his current success.
“Not just preparing me for the position that I got now,” Banton said. “But all the hours that we put together to play for the Celtics. A lot of the teams preach the same things. So it’s not as big of an adjustment, Coach Chauncey (Billups) being transparent, getting me up to speed.
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“I feel like that just made me stay ready, whether for the Celtics or another team. Still being put in position to be ready for games.”
Banton turned some heads in the two games before Monday’s showdown with his old team against the Celtics. He put up 30 points in a loss to the Rockets then followed that up with a 25-point night in an overtime win over the Raptors. Banton wasn’t quite as explosive from a scoring standpoint in the Celtics’ win over the Blazers, finishing with eight points and four assists in his 22 minutes.
Banton originally signed a two-year deal with the Celtics last summer after starting his career with the Raptors. The next season of his contract isn’t guaranteed, so Banton is still playing to potentially stick with the Blazers. The 24-year-old has turned some heads in recent games — those back with the C’s are thrilled for him.
“I’m happy for him,” Oshae Brissett said. “We became really close friends. We were friends before, but became really close friends since he was in Boston. I wanted him to get that opportunity. We all want to play, we all deserve to play. We’ve been here, we’ve grinded, we’ve made it to the highest point of basketball. So getting on the court is the ultimate goal, and he’s doing it, taking advantage of it.”
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