Celtics fans didn't get a chance to see him in action last year. According to the Boston Sports Journal, Jay Scrubb will return to Boston via an “Exhibit 10” contract.
The guard is thus trying his luck again in the NBA, less than a year after having suffered a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee during a training session with the Celtics. Then under a “two-way contract”, he had been forced to have surgery and to write off the entire season.
” It happened on the last day of training camp, at the end of practice. We were doing five-on-five with the coaches. I felt it right away. I knew it was something. It's just tough to be in that position. “, recalls Jay Scrubb, who had to go through a long rehabilitation phase.
He had been cut by the Celtics at the time, but Brad Stevens assured him that the franchise would help him in his rehabilitation by making its facilities available to him.
Nearly a year later, with his return to the court imminent, Jay Scrubb is getting a second chance.
Celtics support
Once he's fully recovered and cleared to play, he'll sign that contract, an invitation to training camp that will allow him to compete for a spot with the first team or resume his career down the aisle with the Maine Celtics.
It should be remembered that the 24-year-old guard, drafted in the second round (55th pick) by the Nets in 2020, had made a few appearances with the Clippers during his first two seasons. Dismissed by the Californians during the summer of 2022, while he was recovering from a right foot injury, he finally bounced back in the Orlando Magic G-League team, with which he averaged 22 points.
Having been around the Celtics last season, Jay Scrubb realized he would be a welcome addition to training camp this fall. Now at 80 percent capacity, he still has some things to work out physically, but he's focused on the mental toll of a year-long recovery. And the Celtics' support has helped a lot.
Even without a contract, he felt like a Celtic. Because I was there and the relationships that I made and just being there makes you feel like you're a part of the franchise. It gave me the motivation to come back and be there with these guys. Being away from the game for the first time was a downer, I didn't really know how to feel, but having the support, it really takes over. »