The Boston Celtics did not lack any depth during their roller coaster 2018-19 season, but they could never seem to find the right mix. While Boston tries to fix its problems, a key piece of their 2017-18 depth chart is scorching the EuroLeague record books.
Shane Larkin played in 54 games during his lone season in green, but provided a nice spark off the bench for Brad Stevens and the C’s. The University of Miami product went overseas following his fourth NBA season, signing with Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball Super League. (Anadolu is also a part of the EuroLeague, which is where Larkin really made his mark this spring.)
The 5-foot-11 guard led Andolu through the playoffs, setting a EuroLeague postseason record with 18 3-pointers.
A record-breaking EIGHTEEN triples from @ShaneLarkin_3 in The Playoffs…
Can he be the difference for pic.twitter.com/igxcVy3pqt
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 7, 2019
Thanks to his sharpshooting, Andolu reached the EuroLeague Final Four, only to have Larkin put on a show in their semifinal matchup with Fenerbahçe.
The point guard posted 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the win, which was good enough for a EuroLeague Final Four record 43 performance index rating. PIR is a stat used by the EuroLeague to track a player’s overall performance.
A Record-Breaking performance from @ShaneLarkin_3 last night!
His 43 performance index rating shattered the Final Four record!#F4GLORY pic.twitter.com/dgXNuwscgz
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 18, 2019
Andolu went on to lose in the EuroLeague final, but another outstanding performance gave Larkin the Final Four scoring record with 59 total points.
59 points in #F4GLORY weekend…
A record for the EuroLeague modern era!
Ball Out @ShaneLarkin_3 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Aihmc7W2rP
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 20, 2019
An impressive showing to say the least.
Many Celtics fans complained when Boston didn’t bring Larkin back last offseason, and if you didn’t understand why, you probably do now.
