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It took a few injuries to key players for Ryan Gomes to get a chance to play for the Boston Celtics. But the rookie's superb play has keyed the first winning stretch for the Celtics this year and with it the notion that no matter when the injured players return to full strength Gomes should be a key part of the Celtics' rotation.

On back to back nights this week for the C's, Gomes went for a career high 27 against Washington only to go for a new career high 29 the next night against Philadelphia. Since moving to the starting role, the rookie has averaged 15 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, while shooting the ball at better than 50%. Most importantly for Celtics fans, the team has now won eight of thirteen games since Gomes moved to the starting lineup.

For those who follow the team, the breakout performance has been nothing short of stunning. For the Providence College graduate, the breakout has also served to restore confidence in his game and bring legitimacy to Danny Ainge's claim that he was thrilled to get Gomes with a second round pick in last year's NBA draft.

However, a scant two months ago, back on January sixth to be exact, Gomes would hit rock bottom. That evening, when he showed up at the Boston Garden for a game against the lowly Atlanta hawks, Gomes found that he been made inactive for the game. That had to be a major blow even for a player who had recorded eight consecutive and demoralizing DNPs, coach's decision, the NBA catch phrase the coach deciding not to put a player into a game.

To top it off, the 6-7 forward would remain on the inactive roster for 10 games. When the injuries began, he was reactivated yet he still sat for an additional three more games without ever getting a chance in a game situation.

First a trade with the T-Wolves had cleared some space, and then when both power forward Al Jefferson and center Kendrick Perkins went down with injuries just prior to the All Star break, Gomes was thrust into the starting line up as the team's power forward.

That proved to be the key decision for a player thought to be too small to play that position initially. The team had been trying to teach the youngster the three slot, where his size wouldn't be seen as a disadvantage. Gomes is definitely an undersized 4 by NBA standards, but a couple of undersized power forwards named Barkley and Dantley had proven that if you have the skills, being undersized is not an issue.

And Gomes appears to have the skills. He is quicker than most of the bigger players he goes up against but still is outstanding at sealing off the defender and creating space for his low post moves. His ability to finish with either hand has helped him score against players with more physical talent.

Gomes's quickness was on full display in the Celtics recent win over Philadelphia. His ability to run the floor then seal up in the low post area prior to the defense getting set led to several easy baskets.

But the rookie has also been outstanding on the back boards. Four years of college have taught him well and he is one of the few NBA players who truly understand how to block out during the rebounding action. Unlike many teammates, Gomes will sustain his check outs even when the ball is not in his vicinity. That means his opponent seldom has a chance at a rebound. In addition, rather than physically competing against a larger player when that player has the initial box out, Gomes looks to move to another area of the floor. If the opponent fails to sustain the check out, something that happens frequently, Gomes has a chance to pick up an offensive rebound.

Now that Al Jefferson has returned, Gomes' future is being questioned. But the fact that the Celtics have had the first winning stretch of the season should go a long way towards answering any questions about the rookie's future. And finally Doc Rivers seems to have caught wind of that fact, using Jefferson at the five position at times while Gomes is on the floor.

That of course leaves the Celtics with undersized players at two positions. But thus far, the lack of size has simply been a non-issue. And if Rivers thinks things through, he should be able to find enough minutes for Jefferson and Gomes, even when Kendrick Perkins returns to the lineup.

Now that the team is winning, even against teams that appear playoff bound, Celtic fans are starting to believe the team does have a future. Though Boston appears to have little chance over the final 20 games of the season to sneak into the playoffs, talk around the team is that Celtics could win as many as 45-50 games next season, perhaps even be good enough to win a playoff series if the youngsters continue to develop.

But all that has to wait for right now and in fact it should. Fans should just enjoy the recent success and focus in on the rookie that has proven that Danny Ainge knew what he was talking about back on draft day.