HOUSTONIn a move to bolster the Boston Celtics' bench and improve the starting lineup defensively, C's coach Doc Rivers will have Courtney Lee back in the starting lineup tonight against Houston.
Lee, who spent the past two seasons with the Rockets, returns to the lineup in place of Jason Terry.
The move should not be viewed as demotion for Terry or necessarily a promotion for Lee.
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Simply put, having Lee with the first group and Terry coming off the bench was how Rivers envisioned his rotation being without Avery Bradley in the mix.
But Lee struggled early on in his role both as a starter and later coming off the bench, while Terry has shown the ability to be effective both with the first group or the backups.
But the last couple of weeks have seen Lee develop into a solid defender in addition to being a contributor offensively.
"I just want to play hard at both ends of the floor," said Lee, who learned that he would be starting prior to Boston's morning shoot-around. "I just want to go in and help the team in any way you can. One day it might be rebounding; the next day it might be defense. Just trying to find my way to impact the game in different categories, not just one."