A marquee talent awaits

Marquis Daniels, for all of his talent, loves the background.

That’s why it has become easy for some in this league to lose sight of the injured Celtics [team stats] swingman.

When coach Doc Rivers talks about piecing the rotation back together after the All-Star break, he’s especially pointing to Daniels’ return from thumb surgery.

As long as Daniels’ list of benefits may be -- and much of the Cs’ second unit trouble over the last six weeks stems from his absence -- he’s confined to the fringe thanks to his quiet nature.

Asked whether NBA insiders lose sight of Daniels’ importance, Rivers said: “I don’t think the league does. I don’t know how many coaches called me and said, ’Wow, how did you get that guy? How’d you pull that off?’

“But he’s not a player who the average fan would understand what he does. He’s an intangibles guy. We have the star guys, so we need the intangibles guys to fit around them. He’s also just a great teammate in the fact that’s what he wants to be. He’s trying to be a star as an intangible player. He’s trying to dominate his role and you could see that early on. He really accepts that.”

Much of the Celtics’ recent trouble -- and especially the ballhandling and turnover issues that have cropped up when Rajon Rondo [stats] isn’t on the floor -- could be resolved with Daniels’ return.

But true to the nature of the player, the change will be seamless.

“He gives us another ballhandler -- not necessarily a point, though he will play the point at times,” said Rivers, attempting to count the benefits. “He guards the best guy on the (other) team at the 2 and the 3 spot. He allows Paul (Pierce) and Ray (Allen) to not have to guard them. He gets those guys rest. He’s another rebounder, and he’s another post player for us. Other than that I don’t know what people can ask for.”

Probably not much. Daniels falls in line with a category of NBA player that virtually every great team needs. Indeed, notice Rivers’ mention of a former Celtics fan favorite in naming some like-minded players.

“There a lot of guys (like Houston’s) Shane Battier,” Rivers said. “There’s a group of guys who understood who they were early in their careers, and have made themselves almost irreplaceable.

“You need them on your team. James Posey, you can go down the list, and all of the good teams probably have one. The more you can get the better you are. (Udonis) Haslem. I’m going to keep naming them.”