Player to Watch: Marquis Daniels

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Okay, before we get started, I'm going to go ahead and take care of the handful of required played-out puns used by sportswriters in other media in this kind of scenario.

"Easy Peasy, Lemon Quisy, Daniels Ready to Contribute"

"Celtics Hope To Be 'Living on Quisy Street'"

"Quisy Come, Quisy Go: Celtics Turn To Daniels For Bench Support."

All right. Now that we have that unfortunate bit of business out of the way, we can begin.

The Boston Celtics have tried some different things in building their bench during their very successful resurgence. Bringing in Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown as locker-room leaders was a win. Using Leon Powe, Glen Davis, and Kendrick Perkins as a three-headed big-reserve system, another win. Stephon Marbury ... yeah, well, you can't be right all the time.

The Marquis Daniels' signing, though, looks like a complete win. Daniels represented a unique opportunity for the C's. He's a player that has enough experience to mesh with the above-30 core (and whom Doc Rivers doesn't have to develop), but, unlike some previous additions to the bench, he's young enough to contribute all season without running out of gas by the playoffs.

From the point of his signing, though, it's clear the Celtics are approaching Daniels' a bit differently.

For starters, there's the fact that there are plans to use Daniels at the point guard position backing up dagger-hands Rajon Rondo. Those that find themselves on either side of the line in supporting or opposing this paradigm have solid reasoning for their alignment. Daniels' 36% eFG% on jumpers and 20% three-point shooting don't exactly inspire confidence regarding his perimeter game. Throw in a history of injuries (only one season with more than 65 games), and you have an alarming set of circumstances.

The other camp certainly has its responses, though. Not only do Daniels' tangibles provide him with the tools to mesh with the Celtics defensively, but his athleticism gives them a parameter off the bench in the backcourt the Celtics lack outside of Rondo. Daniels can attack the rim as well as control the glass, much like Rondo. His per-36 numbers (15.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals) suggest he can contribute significantly in Rivers' system.

Daniels' flexibility provides a potential wrinkle rarely seen on the Celtics with lineup flexibility. Most of their players are firmly entrenched in positional roles, but Daniels' ability to play the one, two or three will allow the Celtics to adapt to their opponents while leaving them equipped to deal with injuries. Daniels has an opportunity to show that he's worthy of second billing on a top-tier team.