BOSTON -- Malcolm Brogdon tortured the Boston Celtics down the stretch Wednesday night and might frustrate the organization for years if he turns a strong rookie season into a long, distinguished career.

As June's NBA draft approached, Brogdon believed the Celtics were one of the teams highest on him. During one lunch meeting with team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, Brogdon said, the Celtics front office made that clear, telling the University of Virginia product how much they appreciated his game.

"They told me how interested they were," Brogdon told MassLive.com after burning the Celtics over the final minutes of a 103-100 Bucks win. "But things didn't work out."

From the top of the front office down, sources said, the Celtics trusted in Brogdon's character and believed he had the makeup to maximize his talent. Head coach Brad Stevens actually recruited Brogdon to Butler years ago and has nothing but high praise for the rookie's game.

"He's not a rookie," Stevens said Wednesday after watching Brogdon record 16 points and nine assists, including a slew of crunch-time plays. " And I say that with complete respect to him. Like, that guy, he knows how to play. He's known how to play for a long time. He was a tremendous college player who was an ultimate winner, and he's just picked right up where he left off."

The Celtics entered draft night with five second-round choices, including two (Nos. 31 and 35) before the Bucks made Brogdon the 36th overall pick. But instead of using those early second-round picks, the Celtics packaged them in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. Boston received a future first-rounder (which, because of protections, could potentially turn into a second-rounder). In some corners of the Boston front office, there was surprise that Ainge, a Brogdon fan, passed on the chance to take the poised youngster.

One reason the Celtics declined to select Brogdon, a source said, was a desire to keep playing time open for lottery pick Jaylen Brown. There was concern that Brogdon, a more accomplished college player, would have eaten into Brown's opportunities early in his career.

It's possible the Celtics also misjudged how much Brogdon would produce at the NBA level. During his debut season, he has averaged 10.3 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 45.7 percent from the field, 40.4 percent from the 3-point arc and 86.5 percent from the free throw line. Though he may not have the same upside as younger, more athletic players, Brogdon has made a strong case for the Rookie of the Year award. While doing so, he has quieted any concerns about his long-range shooting and even taken over point guard responsibilities in Milwaukee, an impressive development considering he spent his college years on the wing.

"Not at all (surprised)," Stevens said. "He has been a winner from Day 1. I'm not surprised by Malcolm Brogdon at all. He's an impressive young man."

Wednesday, that impressive young man accounted for the Bucks' final 10 points -- three buckets and two assists -- while hitting the shot of the night, an obscene fadeaway over Avery Bradley:

"I have a lot of respect for Brogdon," Stevens said. "He's tough."

"I thought they were one of the teams that were (most interested)," Brogdon said. "But they ended up being another team that passed me up. So I like playing against them. I want to come in here and play well every time I play them."