WASHINGTON D.C. -- All the way up the floor, Greg Monroe was telling Boston Celtics rookie Jabari Bird to cut back door.

Playing in just his tenth game of the season against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, Bird was getting his first regular minutes since October. A back injury and several long stints in the G-League limited Bird's rookie season so that he was essentially an afterthought for much of the year behind more highly touted rookies Jayson Tatum, and even Semi Ojeleye.

But with the two seed locked up and no reason to play his starters extended minutes against a Bulls team bound for the lottery, Brad Stevens inserted Bird and gave him a chance to shine.

That was how Bird found himself running the floor with Monroe, the big man in his ear telling him to cut backdoor against Sean Kilpatrick. Sure enough, the Celtics ran their usual action to start the set, and Bird pretended to move toward Monroe from the corner for a dribble hand-off. Instead of curling around, however, Bird exploded to the rim. Monroe found him with the back-door look, and Bird found himself open under the basket.

The result was one of the most fun, random moments of the season.

Jabari throws it down! pic.twitter.com/aF7DgCPtV6 — Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 7, 2018

"I was just thinking about like once you get to the rim, finish it," Bird said, smiling. "I was so excited, I felt like I could jump through the rim. That was a big play, crowd loved it. One of my favorite moments of the year."

For Bird, the last few games have been a dream come true -- a happy note at the end of a tough rookie season.

When he was drafted, Bird knew he would spend time in Maine.

"I expected that," Bird said. "My thing was to take advantage of any opportunity when you get up here. With such a talented team, you don't know when you might get your number called."

But Bird couldn't have been ready for the G-League grind.

"Some games, you might take a five-hour bus ride to get to a game and play there at like eight in the morning," Bird said. "It's not necessarily the most luxurious lifestyle. ... The schedule can be grueling. Once you get the chance to be in the NBA, you really appreciate that opportunity you have. The G-League just makes you hungry to have more."

Bird also couldn't have expected he would miss nearly two months with a back injury. Worse: The two months were two in which the Celtics were banged up and in need of bodies. From January 31 to his return midway through March, Bird watched as Celtic after Celtic missed time with a variety of injuries.

So when Bird returned from his own injury, he just wanted to prove he belonged.

"I obviously always viewed myself as an NBA player," Bird said. "When I got my number called, I just tried to come out and provide a bunch of energy. Get a spark. Obviously, things worked out in my favor. I got a few easy buckets. That kind of got me going. I just tried to carry that momentum."

He did. After finishing 7-for-10 from the floor against Chicago for a career-high 15 points (with room to spare), Bird dropped nine points on 4-for-5 shooting against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. He showed flashes of an all-around NBA skill set -- cutting backdoor, defending ball-handlers with energy and athleticism and even knocking down a corner 3-pointer. Bird's frame could fill out some, but he has good size and length for an NBA guard/wing.

On a Celtics team star starved for depth off the bench, a player like Bird would be a useful addition to the postseason roster. Unfortunately, Bird's contract bars him from postseason participation. The Celtics signed him to a new two-way deal this summer after taking him with the 56th pick in last year's draft. Two-way contracts allow teams to add two extra players to their roster of 15. Players are paid $75,000 and allotted 45 days to spend with their NBA team. They also can't play in the postseason.

There is technically one way Bird could still join the Celtics: They could sign him to guaranteed contract before the start of the season. That would require the Celtics to cut someone -- likely Abdel Nader, whose contract for next season is only partially guaranteed.

But for his part, Bird isn't worried about the postseason roster.

"Nah," he said, when asked if he was disappointed. "I mean for me, these past couple games have been a true blessing. I was hurt for a long time. I didn't really get a chance to show what I can do the whole year in Maine, or even get a chance to get called up. Just to have those two games back-to-back, I don't really care about not being eligible for the playoffs or anything like that. I'm just happy to be here right now. I'm just looking to build on any opportunity I get."