Bayless Impresses Stevens In Celtics Debut

BOSTON (CBS) - The Boston Celtics were blown out by the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, but newcomer Jerryd Bayless got his Celtics debut out of the way.

Bayless, acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team deal on Tuesday, logged 25 minutes in the 129-98 loss in Denver, scoring six points to go with a trio of assists and three steals.

"It was good to be out there," Bayless said after the game -- via CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely. "But obviously we have a lot of work to do as a team."

Bayless hit a nice jumper at the end of the first quarter for his first bucket as a member of the Celtics, but his shooting woes have followed him from Memphis. He shot just 3-for-11 from the field and missed all three of his three-point attempts against the Nuggets. For the season, Bayless is shooting 37 percent from the floor, his lowest percentage in the last four years, and just 29 percent from beyond the arc.

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But head coach Brad Stevens was impressed with what he saw out of his newest player on Tuesday night.

"He clearly was trying to fit in and be a good teammate, probably not as aggressively looking for his shot as he normally does, or should," said Stevens. "But he tried to defend. He was physical and helped us."

"He did nothing but increase his stock in my eyes," said Stevens.