NEW YORK — In the wake of Saturday’s victory over Detroit, Avery Bradley was looking for a bright side of what had been a dark Green situation.

The Celtics welcomed back Al Horford and Jae Crowder from injuries that had cost them the majority of the young season, and the club had taken out the Pistons with a solid effort.

But with the rotation already changing to accommodate the pair, as well as the recently returned Kelly Olynyk, some who have played quite a bit thus far are bound to see their minutes totals wane.

Bradley, however, believes some good came out of the uneven overall performances by the C’s.

“It was hard to be losing like that, but at the same time it gave other people an opportunity,” he said. “You know, I don’t regret any of it. I feel like we were still able to grow. Even though we were losing games, we were able to watch film, look at ourselves in the mirror, all those things. Early in the season, fighting through adversity, I think that’s good for us. I look at it as a positive.

“It gave people an opportunity. What if we need them later in the year? Jaylen (Brown) and Terry (Rozier) and all these guys will have some experience to fall back on. I just think it’s good for these guys, and that’s good for us as a team.”

Bradley might want to buy a lottery ticket in Manhattan today, because he was more than a little psychic. An early payoff based on his theory came Monday night in Minneapolis, as Brown and Rozier teamed with Jonas Jerebko, Marcus Smart and Horford to start the fourth quarter and spark a run that brought the Celtics from 15 points behind to a 99-93 triumph.

“The starters couldn’t get it going, and (the reserves are) the reason we won that game,” Bradley said. “I’m happy for those guys, happy for Terry. Hopefully those guys can keep it going and have that confidence.”

Playing time is a key, and what some of the bench people got early is paying dividends. Rozier, for example, was averaging 19.9 minutes before Horford and Crowder came back. He played 14 on Saturday and 16 Monday. But he was ready with eight of his career-high 12 points in the last quarter against the Wolves.

“He’s built for it,” said Isaiah Thomas, who was seen jumping around the bench when Rozier had a steal and fast break jam to give the Celts the lead in the last quarter. “Some guys are built for it, for when the pressure gets tight. Some guys play the best in situations like that. Terry’s one of those guys.

“But those guys need to get that experience. There’s going to be games where the starters and the guys who play the most minutes don’t have it, and if guys like that are ready, they can come in and do what they did (Monday) night and win us a game.”

And having that success can lead to even more down the line.

“It’s very important, because half the battle is the mental side,” said Thomas. “If you’ve got confidence in yourself and you feel like you belong out there, that’s going to make you play at a different level. And the way they played in this game I think may turn it around for all of us.”

That includes the starters, who are still getting used to playing with Horford, even though he makes that fairly easy with his complementary skills.

“We know that Al’s a very good player, and we also know what Jae can do,” said Bradley. “But not having those two, we knew it would give other guys the opportunity to play and have to step up.

“But, again, we knew that we were still missing two very good players. We’re just happy to have them back. It’s fun not only for us as players, but I’m pretty sure our fans are happy about it, too, to see our entire team healthy and playing with each other. Ever since the summer, I think that’s what people have been wanting to see.”

With the top of the rotation back together and bench people more experienced, the Celts are looking to take their lineup for a spin to see how it accelerates and maneuvers.

“Yeah, that’s exactly how it is,” said Bradley. “You know, we’re still learning how to play with each other, how to play off one another. They’ve been out most of the season so far, so we all have to find our ways to score now. I mean, I can go down the list. We have to get a feel for how we’re going to defend and set each other up, all those little things we’re still learning now. It’s going to be fun building as the year goes along.”