The Celtics moved quickly in free agency to sign six-foot-seven point guard Dalano Banton.
The 23-year-old has shown flashes as a scorer and facilitator, including registering 11 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in 19 minutes in a matchup vs. the Bucks near the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
And just as Lamar Stevens producing eight points, grabbing six offensive rebounds, and a plus-minus rating of plus-18 in a regular-season win against Boston helped him earn a meeting and a workout with the C's this week, Banton generating 10 points in four minutes against the Celtics left a lasting impression on his new team.
In 31 appearances, averaging 9.1 minutes of floor time, the former Toronto Raptor produced 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game last season.
Now, the former standout at Christian Academy in Northfield and MacDuffie School in Granby returns to Massachusetts, where his abilities as a point guard and a slasher, and what his length allows him to do defensively, allow for him to provide a valuable and versatile layer of depth for the C's.
The Toronto, Ontario, Canada native's time spent growing up in Massachusetts influenced his style of play, with Banton saying, per Celtics' in-house reporter Taylor Snow , he modeled his game after Rajon Rondo, the floor general of the 2008 title team, who expanded what Boston had with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, into a big four.
So, when Banton gets into games, donning the same jersey Rondo starred in, the former's approach and his style of play may look familiar to Celtics' fans.
More must-reads: