Tuck’s triple: Celtics potential All-Stars, Hayward’s return to form, frontcourt trade options
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Wednesday 18 December 2019 23:29, UK
Sky Sports NBA analyst Mike Tuck offers three takes on the Boston Celtics as they prepare to face the Dallas Mavericks.
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Three All-Stars for Boston
Boston's acquisition of Kemba Walker in the summer was one of the best moves of the offseason. He was a big player in a small market in Charlotte but not really getting much recognition for it. Now he is on a big-market, historically great team in Boston and has quickly led them out from under the black cloud of last season and the drama around Kyrie Irving.
I would describe Kemba as an inclusive leader, that's his biggest strength. He is the type of leader the Celtics were looking for, a leader who will bring team-mates along with him. He has quickly emerged as Boston's go-to guy and now he is their closer as well.
In the Celtics' game against the Cavaliers last week, they subbed him out when the game was just about done and dusted. Next thing you know, the Cavs hit a few shots and started to rally. Boston subbed Kemba back in and he hit three threes in a row to finish Cleveland off.
That shows you he is ready to play at all times. He doesn't care who they are playing. He wants to be on the floor at all times and wants to be the guy. His experience with the Hornets has led him to a place where he still has a chip on his shoulder and he wants to prove himself every given night. Kemba is a locked in All-Star right off the bat. I think he is an All-Star starter too.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are having high-end production on both ends of the floor and I think that is due to Kemba being there setting them up and the rotations Brad Stevens is playing. Brown, Tatum and Walker are not always on the floor at the same time.
There are times when Kemba is the primary ball-handler and times where Tatum is the primary ball-handler. They are all getting different touches and different looks at the basket on the ball and off the ball which has been good.
Brown has been great at both ends of the floor but Tatum is the one to watch, for me. He is remarkable with his ability to score in different ways. He is a finisher too - you can give him the ball in clutch situations. Like Brown, he is a two-way player and he has a game that compliments Walker, Brown and Gordon Hayward. He knows how to play with those guys now.
I would give both Brown and Tatum All-Star nods, probably coming off the bench.
'Hayward rewarded for mental toughness'
With the season Boston had last year and the need for Gordon Hayward to immediately become the go-to guy he was before his horrific October 2017 leg injury, I think he put a lot of pressure on himself.
With recovery from a long-term injury, there is the physical ailment but the mental side of things is always a huge thing too. I had surgery on my foot three years ago and it took me a year, maybe a year-and-a-half before I felt normal again and confident enough to put my full weight on that foot.
With injuries and surgeries, you have to be prepared to give your body enough time to regulate and get back to square one. You also have to stay mentally tough and that is something I think Hayward has done. This season, he has looked like he is making strides to getting back to where he was before the injury.
Hayward has had a couple of dips, too. He missed 13 games after breaking his left hand against the San Antonio Spurs. I'm hoping he isn't becoming a little injury-prone because I was really happy to see him start looking like the player we all grew to love when he was starring in Utah.
'Celtics need frontcourt upgrade'
If the Celtics want to make a push to reach the Finals, I think they are are going to have to make a trade, for sure.
Their weakness is their frontcourt on the defensive end. You've got Enes Kanter, Daniel Theis, Robert Williams, who is out for at least three weeks with a hip injury, rookie Grant Williams and the raw 7ft 5in rookie Tacko Fall.
Theis has been getting the job done but when the Celtics played the 76ers last week the frontcourt was exposed. Joel Embiid ate Boston's bigs for lunch throwing down so many dunks inside. And Philadelphia, along with Toronto and Milwaukee, are the teams in Boston's way.
There are options in the trade market right now, it just depends on what Boston are willing to give up.
San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge is a skilled, experienced guy who has been in playoff situations before but he is 34, isn't the best three-point shooter and, with the size of his contract, they would have to give up a lot to get him.
A better option would be Kevin Love, who is wasting away on a dwindling Cavaliers team. With the set-up Boston have, especially with Kemba, Love would be a great pick-and-pop guy. He is a much better three-point shooter than Aldridge. Defensively, is he a step up from Kanter or Theis? I don't know but in terms of scoring and spreading the floor he is a great option.
As with Aldridge, Love's big contract would mean a situation where the Celtics would have to give up Brown or Hayward. I don't see them giving up Brown. Hayward is a little bit older and would probably the one to go but he is just coming back off injury and playing really well. He would be tough to let go too.
An easier deal to make is for Davis Bertans of the Washington Wizards. They aren't having a great season but he is averaging 15.4 points per game and shooting almost 46 per cent from three. He is on an expiring $7m contract so that's an easy swap-out for Kanter or a guy like Semi Ojeleye. Bertans would give them a little bit more defense and he spreads the floor with his shooting.
Does that completely solve Boston's frontcourt problem? It's more like a bit of a Band Aid.
I love Domantas Sabonis' game, but I doubt the Indiana Pacers would give him up. They signed him to a four-year extension in October and he has responded by averaging 18 points and 13.3 rebounds a game this season. He is a double-double machine.
Getting someone like Sabonis is the power move the Celtics need, bringing in a guy who is a mega-threat on the inside. That type of guy would take them deep into the playoffs.
