Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

by **bobheckler** Tue Jul 30, 2019 6:10 pm

https://nesn.com/2019/07/why-celtics-are-high-on-potential-of-robert-williams-vincent-poirier/

Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

by NESN Staff

on Mon, Jul 29, 2019 at 11:10PM

The Boston Celtics underwent some serious changes to their frontcourt this summer with the departures of Al Horford and Aron Baynes.

Boston added the likes of Enes Kanter and French big man Vincent Poirier to go along with Daniel Theis and Robert Williams. According to director of player personnel Austin Ainge, the Celtics are high on their new-look depth chart, specifically in terms of Williams and Poirier.

Williams, or Time Lord as he’s affectionately called by the Celtics online community, averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 32 games during his rookie season, but Ainge told Boston Sports Journal’s Brian Robb they’re excited for what the future has in store for the Texas A&M product.

“Robert is super talented and he does a lot of things that are special and unique,” Ainge told Robb. “As with every young player, we’re just trying to help him with consistency. If he can play his best more consistently, he’s going to be a very good player. We’re just trying to develop those habits and help him become a more consistent player, earn minutes and help us out. We’re very high on him, not only his long-term future, but this year. He will have a chance to fight for minutes.”

One of the players Williams will be competing with for minutes is Poirier, whom Boston had been scouting overseas for a “few years,” according to Ainge. Despite a lack of NBA experience, the Celtics are excited about the 7-footer as well.

“We’ve been scouting (Poirier) for a few years,” Ainge said. “In my opinion, when he had the move to Baskonia two years ago, he really improved very rapidly. They did a great job with him in development. He really improved and has become a very good player. This year, we obviously started talking with him and his agent throughout the season and we’re excited that he chose to sign with us. As far as his game, he’s really big. He’s 7-foot-1 in shoes. He’s athletic, he rolls really well and he’s a presence at the rim. He’s a good rebounder so he’s a big physical active player.”

Boston enters training camp with 18 players, meaning they’ll be a solid fight for the 15th and final roster spot, in addition to the frontcourt’s battle for minutes.

bob
MY NOTE: That's THE Time Lord, not just Time Lord (as if there's more than one. Sheesh...)

.

by **dboss** Wed Jul 31, 2019 1:02 pm

While we have a lot of discussions about how minutes will be distributed among Boston's 3 headed center, one thing that we may see in Brad's big frontline rotations is a pairing of Williams and Poirier.

Williams can play PF with either Kanter or Poirier at center. I think we will see some of that. If either of those pairings work, the Celtics would effectively eliminate any concerns that I have expressed about our length at PF.

I think Williams becomes a main defensive guy and when paired with another center he could become a facilitator on offense and play up top setting screens and moving the ball to open guys. PF's have to be quick enough NSEW, to be reliable defenders. Williams is very quick and moves well laterally. When he was drafted Danny commented about his passing abilities. During the Summer League we saw some of those abilities on display.

The possibilities are endless but those pairings will required a high/low offense. That is some old school basketball.

The biggest challenges for all 3 of our centers will be to expand their games to include viable shooting from outside the paint. Also, the Celtics offense requires that their big guys can handle the ball, make quick reads and complete precise passes.

It's hard not to get excited about the upcoming season.

by **mikeod** Wed Jul 31, 2019 1:23 pm

dboss,
I paid a lot of attention to RW during summer league es-especially with the loss of Horford to see if he displayed any of the skills we need to replace. My impression was that he looked much more comfortable at the high post and didn’t look to be rushing to get rid of the ball. His passes looked good, although not always successful. But that was also on the recipient. In contrast, although not a fair comparison, Tacko looked almost panicked out there, quickly looking to hand off to a circling guard as quickly as possible. His comfort with the ball close to the basket was very evident and certainly expected. Im looking forward to training camp to see more development by RW as I think he has a large future role on the team.

by **international** Wed Jul 31, 2019 1:34 pm

https://hardwoodhoudini.com/2019/07/31/boston-celtics-predicting-vincent-poiriers-production-2019-20-season/

by **tjmakz** Wed Jul 31, 2019 1:38 pm

dboss wrote:While we have a lot of discussions about how minutes will be distributed among Boston's 3 headed center, one thing that we may see in Brad's big frontline rotations is a pairing of Williams and Poirier.

Williams can play PF with either Kanter or Poirier at center. I think we will see some of that. If either of those pairings work, the Celtics would effectively eliminate any concerns that I have expressed about our length at PF.

I think Williams becomes a main defensive guy and when paired with another center he could become a facilitator on offense and play up top setting screens and moving the ball to open guys. PF's have to be quick enough NSEW, to be reliable defenders. Williams is very quick and moves well laterally. When he was drafted Danny commented about his passing abilities. During the Summer League we saw some of those abilities on display.

The possibilities are endless but those pairings will required a high/low offense. That is some old school basketball.

The biggest challenges for all 3 of our centers will be to expand their games to include viable shooting from outside the paint. Also, the Celtics offense requires that their big guys can handle the ball, make quick reads and complete precise passes.

It's hard not to get excited about the upcoming season.

dboss,

In looking at how Williams and Poirer play, I don't think you will see them on the court at the same time very at all because they have similar skills.
Both should be good rebounders, defenders, rim protectors and finishers on the pick and roll.
Neither has much of an outside game at all.
Also, both are not good free throw shooters.
If Hayward plays well this year, I think Tatum and Hayward will get most of the time at the PF position.
I think Carson Edwards is going to force his way into the rotation, which means Brown, Hayward and Tatum will be playing a lot of SF and PF.
Walker, Edwards and Smart could be taking most of the minutes at PG and SG.

by **dboss** Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:25 pm

mikeod wrote:dboss,
I paid a lot of attention to RW during summer league es-especially with the loss of Horford to see if he displayed any of the skills we need to replace. My impression was that he looked much more comfortable at the high post and didn’t look to be rushing to get rid of the ball. His passes looked good, although not always successful. But that was also on the recipient. In contrast, although not a fair comparison, Tacko looked almost panicked out there, quickly looking to hand off to a circling guard as quickly as possible. His comfort with the ball close to the basket was very evident and certainly expected. Im looking forward to training camp to see more development by RW as I think he has a large future role on the team.

mikeod

In the past we have seen players make significant progress from the first year to their second year.

Playing time is relevant. RW has to prove that he can do good things consistently. The Celtics appeared to be cautiously optimistic about Williams. Summer League play gives us some indication that he can be productive if given the minutes.

Last year Robert only played 32 games at only 8.8 MPG. I thought that was way too low.

He played 4 games where he got 20 or more MPG

29 Minutes vs Wizards only scored 2 points but had 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, an assist and a steal
24 minutes vs Suns scored 8 points, had 8 rebounds and 5 block shots. He also recorded an assist and a steal
26 Minutes vs NOLA scoring 7 points with 11 rebounds and 3 blocks (2 against AD)
20 Minutes vs Raptors scoring 8 points and 4 rebounds

He also logged 16 minutes vs Hawks scoring 2 points but had 5 rebounds and 5 blocks

What I see in RW is a rebounding shot blocking big that has the quickness to cover out to the perimeter. He should be able to establish himself as a defensive specialist first and then add some offense. Offensively he is going to score some points for Boston but only when they are looking to run more post offensive opportunities for him. He will score off what I call garbage points. He needs to start taking midrange shots. He has a nice stroke at the foul line.

I was disappointed that he did not get a lot of opportunities to play last year.

I think he gets 16 MPG this year and will at least equal what we got from Aron Baynes last year (16.1 MPG, 5.6 points and 4.7 rebounds, 0.7 blocks, and 1.1 assists) I do not know if we get the physicality that Baynes provided but with Kanter and VP who is suppose to also be a physical guy that may not be a issue.

by **dboss** Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:12 pm

tjmakz wrote:
dboss wrote:While we have a lot of discussions about how minutes will be distributed among Boston's 3 headed center, one thing that we may see in Brad's big frontline rotations is a pairing of Williams and Poirier.

Williams can play PF with either Kanter or Poirier at center. I think we will see some of that. If either of those pairings work, the Celtics would effectively eliminate any concerns that I have expressed about our length at PF.

I think Williams becomes a main defensive guy and when paired with another center he could become a facilitator on offense and play up top setting screens and moving the ball to open guys. PF's have to be quick enough NSEW, to be reliable defenders. Williams is very quick and moves well laterally. When he was drafted Danny commented about his passing abilities. During the Summer League we saw some of those abilities on display.

The possibilities are endless but those pairings will required a high/low offense. That is some old school basketball.

The biggest challenges for all 3 of our centers will be to expand their games to include viable shooting from outside the paint. Also, the Celtics offense requires that their big guys can handle the ball, make quick reads and complete precise passes.

It's hard not to get excited about the upcoming season.

dboss,

In looking at how Williams and Poirer play, I don't think you will see them on the court at the same time very at all because they have similar skills.
Both should be good rebounders, defenders, rim protectors and finishers on the pick and roll.
Neither has much of an outside game at all.
Also, both are not good free throw shooters.
If Hayward plays well this year, I think Tatum and Hayward will get most of the time at the PF position.
I think Carson Edwards is going to force his way into the rotation, which means Brown, Hayward and Tatum will be playing a lot of SF and PF.
Walker, Edwards and Smart could be taking most of the minutes at PG and SG.

TJ

When you saw how Poirier played what did you think? I seen highlights but have never actually see a full game.

I agree with you about the lack of an outside game for both RW and VP. I really do not know enough about VP to make any informed judgement. I however do think that RW will become a very serviceable FT shooter. He does have a nice stroke from the line. He shot 60% from the line last year on limited game opportunities.

If they are paired together and I think that is a real possibility, VP will be in the low post. RW is likely to also be paired with Kanter. The Celtics are going to have to play a big frontcourt at times so the pairing of two bigs is a given.

With respect to Carsen Edwards, I do expect him to be part of the rotation. I do not however expect him to take any minutes away from Jaylen at SG. Edwards is a very undersized player at the SG position. Smart will be the one that plays SG when Jaylen is not on the court. Smart will also be the primary BU at PG.

Carsen Edwards is still a rookie and I would be surprised if he plays a lot of minutes. Also let us not overlook the fact that Danny drafted Romeo Langford, a 6' 6" SG with his first pick in the draft. I would recommend we wait to see how he plays before penciling in Edwards as the primary BU at the 2. There is not one rookie that will get a sniff of starter level minutes.

by **tjmakz** Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:24 pm

dboss wrote:
tjmakz wrote:
dboss wrote:While we have a lot of discussions about how minutes will be distributed among Boston's 3 headed center, one thing that we may see in Brad's big frontline rotations is a pairing of Williams and Poirier.

Williams can play PF with either Kanter or Poirier at center. I think we will see some of that. If either of those pairings work, the Celtics would effectively eliminate any concerns that I have expressed about our length at PF.

I think Williams becomes a main defensive guy and when paired with another center he could become a facilitator on offense and play up top setting screens and moving the ball to open guys. PF's have to be quick enough NSEW, to be reliable defenders. Williams is very quick and moves well laterally. When he was drafted Danny commented about his passing abilities. During the Summer League we saw some of those abilities on display.

The possibilities are endless but those pairings will required a high/low offense. That is some old school basketball.

The biggest challenges for all 3 of our centers will be to expand their games to include viable shooting from outside the paint. Also, the Celtics offense requires that their big guys can handle the ball, make quick reads and complete precise passes.

It's hard not to get excited about the upcoming season.

dboss,

In looking at how Williams and Poirer play, I don't think you will see them on the court at the same time very at all because they have similar skills.
Both should be good rebounders, defenders, rim protectors and finishers on the pick and roll.
Neither has much of an outside game at all.
Also, both are not good free throw shooters.
If Hayward plays well this year, I think Tatum and Hayward will get most of the time at the PF position.
I think Carson Edwards is going to force his way into the rotation, which means Brown, Hayward and Tatum will be playing a lot of SF and PF.
Walker, Edwards and Smart could be taking most of the minutes at PG and SG.
TJ

When you saw how Poirier played what did you think? I seen highlights but have never actually see a full game.

I agree with you about the lack of an outside game for both RW and VP. I really do not know enough about VP to make any informed judgement. I however do think that RW will become a very serviceable FT shooter. He does have a nice stroke from the line. He shot 60% from the line last year on limited game opportunities.

If they are paired together and I think that is a real possibility, VP will be in the low post. RW is likely to also be paired with Kanter. The Celtics are going to have to play a big frontcourt at times so the pairing of two bigs is a given.

With respect to Carsen Edwards, I do expect him to be part of the rotation. I do not however expect him to take any minutes away from Jaylen at SG. Edwards is a very undersized player at the SG position. Smart will be the one that plays SG when Jaylen is not on the court. Smart will also be the primary BU at PG.

Carsen Edwards is still a rookie and I would be surprised if he plays a lot of minutes. Also let us not overlook the fact that Danny drafted Romeo Langford, a 6' 6" SG with his first pick in the draft. I would recommend we wait to see how he plays before penciling in Edwards as the primary BU at the 2. There is not one rookie that will get a sniff of starter level minutes.

I liked what I saw in the videos/highlights of Poirer.
But I don't think a team needs more than one of those types of players getting regular minutes.
Just like the Lakers don't need two Javale McGee's on the team.
For the Lakers a combo of McGee and Cousins could be a very effective combo with very different strengths.

Yes, Edwards and Langford will have to earn minutes.
I just don't think they will have to sit on the bench as two non-shooters play together.
Even Theis and Kanter won't stretch the floor for Boston.
In order for Boston to be successful, I think Walker, Brown and Tatum will have to play at least 33-34 minutes per game.
Trying to find minutes for non-shooting power forwards will hurt Boston in other areas.
That's just one person's opinion about Boston's playing time plan...

by **dboss** Wed Jul 31, 2019 4:11 pm

TJ I do not totally disagree with you.

What I am saying is that Boston under Brad has used big frontcourt in matchup situations.

you stated "I just don't think they will have to sit on the bench as two non-shooters play together."

Langford and Edwards do not help you when you need to go big. The Celtics will not have a true stretch 5 center but they can still get a lot of scoring out of their centers.

Stretching the floor is a concept that forces the defense to go out and cover 3 point shooters and it creates driving lanes. Brad places great value in 3 point shots but if you look at last year, how much scoring did our stretch 5 get from deep? AH and AB combined for 4.2 3PA per game and scored on 1.5 of them. The real value is how this configuration opens up 3 point shots for everyone else because it is very difficult to check 5 guys on the perimeter at the same time.

However solid low post offense can also open up shots. We now have 2 seasoned low post centers that will require help defense. Go to double Kanter and get burned from deep provided Kanter becomes a guy that will kick the ball out to open shooters. The film on VP shows that he has low post moves and can score with either hand.

I think you can get away with having two bigs that are not outside shooters provided you surround them with 3 shooters. You can still get scoring from your low post and 3 outside shooters while the 5th guy is more of a facilitator.

The bottom line is that Boston will be forced to go big so Brad just needs to figure out how to maximize his offense when they do.

by **international** Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:46 pm

dboos,
Vincent Poirier free throws % in the Euroleague was 73.1, for a 7 footer that's very good.

by **dboss** Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:58 pm

international wrote:dboos,
Vincent Poirier free throws % in the Euroleague was 73.1, for a 7 footer that's very good.

Yes, I saw those stats so TJ must not have seen them.

by **bobheckler** Wed Jul 31, 2019 8:15 pm

A stretch 5 spreads the floor and forces the defense to come out to defend him and that creates cutting lanes. Last year, however, nobody freaking cut. Sounded good, looked good on paper, but nobody cut. They just stood out there and watched Kyrie just like everybody else.

This year, with centers that love the paint and are effective in it will be the 2009 all over again. We'll dump the ball into Kanter. If they don't double him he'll do his thing at the rim and he is very tough to stop down low. Poirier, likewise, looks very tough down low and looks very good on pnrs. Williams is an alley-ooper. If they double Kanter and/or Poirier then they kick it out to our shooters at the arc. It's the Orlando Magic of 2008-2009, with Dwight Howard demanding a double team and then kicking it out to Redick and Turkoglu and Lewis. If no double came then he just overpowered his man (unless it was Perk, who was one of the very few players in the NBA who could defend D12 straight up). Or, if there was penetration by Turk or Jameer Nelson and the defense rotated they'd just throw it up towards the rim and let Howard go get it. That's us this year. Kanter overpowers down low without a double team. If there's a double he kicks it out to a shooter. Kemba, or someone else, penetrates and if the defense rotates they throw it towards the rim and Kanter/Poirier/Williams go gets it.

bob

.

by **dboss** Wed Jul 31, 2019 9:16 pm

bobheckler wrote:A stretch 5 spreads the floor and forces the defense to come out to defend him and that creates cutting lanes. Last year, however, nobody freaking cut. Sounded good, looked good on paper, but nobody cut. They just stood out there and watched Kyrie just like everybody else.

This year, with centers that love the paint and are effective in it will be the 2009 all over again. We'll dump the ball into Kanter. If they don't double him he'll do his thing at the rim and he is very tough to stop down low. Poirier, likewise, looks very tough down low and looks very good on pnrs. Williams is an alley-ooper. If they double Kanter and/or Poirier then they kick it out to our shooters at the arc. It's the Orlando Magic of 2008-2009, with Dwight Howard demanding a double team and then kicking it out to Redick and Turkoglu and Lewis. If no double came then he just overpowered his man (unless it was Perk, who was one of the very few players in the NBA who could defend D12 straight up). Or, if there was penetration by Turk or Jameer Nelson and the defense rotated they'd just throw it up towards the rim and let Howard go get it. That's us this year. Kanter overpowers down low without a double team. If there's a double he kicks it out to a shooter. Kemba, or someone else, penetrates and if the defense rotates they throw it towards the rim and Kanter/Poirier/Williams go gets it.

bob

.

+1

by **tjmakz** Thu Aug 01, 2019 10:14 am

dboss wrote:
international wrote:dboos,
Vincent Poirier free throws % in the Euroleague was 73.1, for a 7 footer that's very good.

Yes, I saw those stats so TJ must not have seen them.

Last year Poirer shot 62.8% from the FT line and has shot 68.1% in his career from the FT line.
That's not terrible, but significantly below league average.
He's almost 26. I don't expect his FT shooting to improve much.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/vincent-poirier-1.html

by **dboss** Thu Aug 01, 2019 11:10 am

tjmakz wrote:
dboss wrote:
international wrote:dboos,
Vincent Poirier free throws % in the Euroleague was 73.1, for a 7 footer that's very good.

Yes, I saw those stats so TJ must not have seen them.

Last year Poirer shot 62.8% from the FT line and has shot 68.1% in his career from the FT line.
That's not terrible, but significantly below league average.
He's almost 26. I don't expect his FT shooting to improve much.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/vincent-poirier-1.html

TJ you are probably right about that. The 73% came in the 2017-18 season.

Ball don't lie, lol

by **international** Thu Aug 01, 2019 11:16 am

dboss wrote:
tjmakz wrote:
dboss wrote:
international wrote:dboos,
Vincent Poirier free throws % in the Euroleague was 73.1, for a 7 footer that's very good.

Yes, I saw those stats so TJ must not have seen them.

Last year Poirer shot 62.8% from the FT line and has shot 68.1% in his career from the FT line.
That's not terrible, but significantly below league average.
He's almost 26. I don't expect his FT shooting to improve much.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/vincent-poirier-1.html
TJ you are probably right about that. The 73% came in the 2017-18 season.

Ball don't lie, lol

you both are wrong, the 73.1 % I am talking is from the Euro league , not the Spain league. Euroleague is a league with the best teams in Europe , oviuously is thougher than the domestic league.

by **international** Thu Aug 01, 2019 11:20 am

international wrote:
dboss wrote:
tjmakz wrote:
dboss wrote:
international wrote:dboos,
Vincent Poirier free throws % in the Euroleague was 73.1, for a 7 footer that's very good.

Yes, I saw those stats so TJ must not have seen them.

Last year Poirer shot 62.8% from the FT line and has shot 68.1% in his career from the FT line.
That's not terrible, but significantly below league average.
He's almost 26. I don't expect his FT shooting to improve much.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/vincent-poirier-1.html
TJ you are probably right about that. The 73% came in the 2017-18 season.

Ball don't lie, lol
you both are wrong, the 73.1 % I am talking is from the Euro league , not the Spain league. Euroleague is a league with the best teams in Europe , oviuously is thougher than the domestic league.

https://basketball.eurobasket.com/team/Spain/Kirolbet-Baskonia-Vitoria/108?Page=3

by **tjmakz** Thu Aug 01, 2019 11:22 am

international wrote:
dboss wrote:
tjmakz wrote:
dboss wrote:
international wrote:dboos,
Vincent Poirier free throws % in the Euroleague was 73.1, for a 7 footer that's very good.

Yes, I saw those stats so TJ must not have seen them.

Last year Poirer shot 62.8% from the FT line and has shot 68.1% in his career from the FT line.
That's not terrible, but significantly below league average.
He's almost 26. I don't expect his FT shooting to improve much.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/vincent-poirier-1.html
TJ you are probably right about that. The 73% came in the 2017-18 season.

Ball don't lie, lol
you both are wrong, the 73.1 % I am talking is from the Euro league , not the Spain league. Euroleague is a league with the best teams in Europe , oviuously is thougher than the domestic league.

I didn't know he played in that league.
Overall in both leagues he probably shoots a little over 70% from the FT line.
That's respectable for a 7 footer.

by **dboss** Thu Aug 01, 2019 11:42 am

Okay I could not find that euroleague stat.

Here it is. I thought I saw this before. .731% Euroleague

https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/vincent-poirier-1.html#all_per_minute-clu-po

by **swish** Thu Aug 01, 2019 12:25 pm

While 3 point shooting has revolutionized the nba game - the stretch 5 has lagged far behind the guards when it comes to shooting from 3 point range - with only 6 0f the below listed 26 centers averaging 2 or more 3 point attempts per game. That's 6 of 26 for 23.0%. For guards it's 141 of 156 for 90.4%.

http://bkref.com/tiny/9qarn

swish

by **dboss** Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:10 pm

swish wrote:While 3 point shooting has revolutionized the nba game - the stretch 5 has lagged far behind the guards when it comes to shooting from 3 point range - with only 6 0f the below listed 26 centers averaging 2 or more 3 point attempts per game. That's 6 of 26 for 23.0%. For guards it's 141 of 156 for 90.4%.

http://bkref.com/tiny/9qarn

swish

Swish

I have come to realize that the stretch 5 position is less about actually taking and making 3 point shots but more about the spread offense.

Brook Lopez was at the top of the heap taking 6.3 per game and he made 2.3 for 36%. That was tops among all NBA centers in terms of attempts and makes.

The worse looking offense occurs when you have 5 guys in a semi circle behind the arc and everybody is just standing there waiting for someone to pass them the ball.

The proliferation of the 3 point shot has pretty much forced teams to take more of them, The Celtics love the 3 point shot but we are certain to see more scoring in the post this year, more 2nd chance points and more fast break points.

by **swish** Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:24 pm

With 4 starters from last year on the roster this year, that have career averages from 3 point range of at least .357 - I'm quite content to let centers Kanter and company do their thing around the rim - no need for a stretch 5 here. Some old fashion Dinosaur play down low from our centers will be welcome.

swish

by **bobheckler** Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:24 pm

swish wrote:With 4 starters from last year on the roster this year, that have have career averages from 3 point range of at least .357 - I'm quite content to let centers Kanter and company do their thing around the rim - no need for a stretch 5 here. Some old fashion Dinosaur play down low from our centers will be welcome.

swish

+1

by **tjmakz** Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:41 pm

swish wrote:With 4 starters from last year on the roster this year, that have have career averages from 3 point range of at least .357 - I'm quite content to let centers Kanter and company do their thing around the rim - no need for a stretch 5 here. Some old fashion Dinosaur play down low from our centers will be welcome.

swish

The league has really changed from an inside-out game to an outside-in game.
This is a very interesting interview from Kanter.
He and Danny don't agree with your assessment above.
This strengthen's the argument that Boston can't play two of Kanter/R. Williams/Poirer/Fall at the same time since they don't spread the floor and make 3 pointers.

https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-danny-ainge-told-enes-kanter-the-3-point-line-isnt-for-decoration/

Kanter's comment is in bold below.

Now, the league has changed a lot. There’s not much back-to-the-basket play anymore – that left – and that’s my game. Of course, with the league changing, everybody has to be able to make three-point shots now. That’s why my focus this summer is my three-point shooting. When I talked to Brad Stevens, he told me he wanted me to shoot threes. In the press conference, I was sitting next to Danny Ainge and he told me, “You know, that three-point line isn’t for decoration.” I was like, “Got it! Okay!”

by **dboss** Thu Aug 01, 2019 5:00 pm

tjmakz wrote:
swish wrote:With 4 starters from last year on the roster this year, that have have career averages from 3 point range of at least .357 - I'm quite content to let centers Kanter and company do their thing around the rim - no need for a stretch 5 here. Some old fashion Dinosaur play down low from our centers will be welcome.

swish

The league has really changed from an inside-out game to an outside-in game.
This is a very interesting interview from Kanter.
He and Danny don't agree with your assessment above.
This strengthen's the argument that Boston can't play two of Kanter/R. Williams/Poirer/Fall at the same time since they don't spread the floor and make 3 pointers.

https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-danny-ainge-told-enes-kanter-the-3-point-line-isnt-for-decoration/

Kanter's comment is in bold below.

Now, the league has changed a lot. There’s not much back-to-the-basket play anymore – that left – and that’s my game. Of course, with the league changing, everybody has to be able to make three-point shots now. That’s why my focus this summer is my three-point shooting. When I talked to Brad Stevens, he told me he wanted me to shoot threes. In the press conference, I was sitting next to Danny Ainge and he told me, “You know, that three-point line isn’t for decoration.” I was like, “Got it! Okay!”

TJ

Kanter will still be a low post scorer. That is what he does best. His ability to step outside and make shots will be an added benefit.

If you have a guy who averages almost 4 offensive rebounds per game do you want him taking a lot of shots from deep?

If you are a team defending Boston are you concerned about getting burnt by Kanter outside or inside.

I did hear the Kanter interview but it should be taken in context.

We do not know how Kanter/Williams/Poirier will play together. Danny and Brad wanting Kanter to expand his game actually supports the notion that Boston will play big. No one ever mentioned Fall also being in the mix.

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Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier

Re: Why Celtics Are High On Potential Of Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier