Celtics 2-way and G-League options

Kabengele is on a 2-way deal but he has not been given an opportunity to play with the big club.

He leads the Maine team with 10.4 rebounds per game and 4.6 of them are on the offensive glass.  He also leads the team in blocks at 1.4 per game.  He is averaging 21 PPG on 63% shooting from the field and 78.6% from the line.  He is not much of a 3 point shooter (32.1) but he checks a lot of boxes.  If we really are looking to add more depth  in our frontcourt, Kabengele looks like a guy who could help us.  

I think Boston needs to start playing him and then decide if he should have his contract converted so that he can be playoff eligible.

I do not know what more they would want to see from him up in Maine.  

Luka Samanic has some game as he leads the team in PPG at 23.9 to go along with 8.6 rebounds (2.1) offensive.  He is shooting well from deep at 41% on 6.1 attempts per game.  Luka is 6' 10"

JD Davidson is also on a 2-way deal and playing well.  He leads the team in assists per game at 8.6 with only 2.4 TO's.  He has been working on his shooting.    He is averaging 11.2 PPG on 52.1% shooting. Also his 3 point shooting is getting better at 38.9%.

If you want to dig a little deeper below is a link to the advanced stats.  Kabengele has some off the charts numbers (126.2 offensive rating and a 106.6 defensive rating)  He Net rating is 19.5

https://stats.gleague.nba.com/team/1612709915/players-advanced/

DBoss,

I can agree with giving Kabengele some playing time to see if he can provide some depth behind RWill, Al, Blake and Luke.  5 centers are A LOT of centers to carry on a team but RWill's fragility makes it almost mandatory.  Why not give him a few minutes and see how he competes against NBA players?

We need another wing to provide depth to the Js and Justin Jackson isn't it.  Could that be Samanic?  Well, he certainly has the height, and he is shooting 3s well.  His assist-to-turnover ratio is <1:1, so that's not good.  If he cannot be neutral and have no more than 1 turnover for every assist against G-league talent then he could be a disaster against the bigger, stronger, faster players in the NBA.  Unfortunately the stat page you provided doesn't allow me to see totals.  I'd like to see how many 3pt fgas and 3pt fgm his 40% is based upon because that is WAY above anything he did in San Antonio.  It might just be a small sample size and, therefore, unreliable.

Maybe with Smart hurt that will give Davison a chance.  White's getting knocked around a bit too (some from Smart himself) and giving him a night off might not be a bad idea.  Brogdon, Pritchard, Davison is an inexperienced back court that will almost certainly will be double-teamed and trapped but seeing that coming and getting rid of the ball before they seal the trap is part of the learning experience.  I'm still saying Pritchard's gone by the trade deadline, he's too good a player to be 4th on the back court depth chart and he knows it.  According to Spotrac the team exercised their option on his contract, a no-brainer for sure, and is now locked into a $4M contract next year.  AFTER THAT he is an RFA and can be offered a $6M Qualifying Offer in 2024-2025, which other teams can outbid.  Does Brad trade Pritchard now, along with his club exercised option, or does he keep him through this year and figure out how much he wants him next year?  Brogdon turned 30 in December.  Despite his prior injury history he has been relatively healthy this year, playing in 41 of our total 47 games. His 24.4mpg this season might be the difference. It is the lowest mpg of his career. I really like Davison's 8.6:2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio.  I doubt his 3.58:1 ratio will hold up in the NBA but 2.58:1 would still be very, very nice for a young'un.

To sum this up I'm ok with Fi and Davison getting minutes to show Joe what they can do with the Boston Celtics but I'm tepid at best with Samanic.  I want a more proven quantity backing the Js up.  If I'm right about PP being gone then trade him for a veteran wing.  Throw Jackson in for filler.  Or garnish.  Or a side dish, I don't care, just move him.  We already have an open spot thanks to the Vonleh trade, so we don't have to do a twofer to be able to add one of the above AND get a wing.


Bob


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I am not so sure we will see Pritchard gone by trade deadline unless this spurt of games where he has been so valuable to th team has interest many teams. I have read GSW and Lakers would want him, but I cannot see either trade going thru there. Smart has admitted that at times he is going to need time off, so that puts more pressure on Brogden and White, having Pritchard on the bench to play 15 mins or more if he is going well like last night may be the way Brad goes.

I have said before, I have no idea what the heck Jackson is doing on this team, I watched the G-League Maine team today, Davidson was so active out there. He has been a terrific player for them, I know he is a two way player, but he deserves a shot.

I guess I really hate to see Pritchard go, he has worked so hard on his game here, and after seeing Nesmith and Romeo starting to succeed on the teams they were traded to, it kills me to lose a young player

With Marcus and Malcolm out tomorrow, Payton should see more minutes and Davidson may get to play.

I think Davison needs more time to develop. Would love to see Kabengele get some opportunities. Like Rosalie, I'm for keeping Pritchard unless we get something substantial in return. He's fun to watch, and contributes when he gets some run. Those who feel that Mazulla doesn't play Brogdon enough minutes should be aware of his injury history. This is the age of minutes management, like it or not.

CJ does not play MB enough minutes.

I do not know what the magic formula is for how many minutes he should play. I think somewhere in the 26 range would be good for the team.

When other guys are out you expect him to play more.

A lot of guys on our team seem to always get hit with injuries like Marcus and Jaylen.

Stamina is the optimum measurement. When guys are tired it puts more stress on the body and that is when strains occur.

I am all for keeping Payton.

dboss wrote:CJ does not play MB enough minutes.

I do not know what the magic formula is for how many minutes he should play.  I think somewhere in the 26 range would be good for the team.  

When other guys are out you expect him to play more.  

A lot of guys on our team seem to always get hit with injuries like Marcus and Jaylen.  

Stamina is the optimum measurement.  When guys are tired it puts more stress on the body and that is when strains occur.

I am all for keeping Payton.  

DBoss,

According to basketball-reference.com Malcolm Brogdon is averaging 24.4mpg.  So if you think 26mpg is a good number he's already almost playing that.

I'd like to keep Payton too.  "I think he's going to be traded" does not mean the same thing as "I want him to be traded".


Bob


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During the playoffs we should expect to see a shortened rotation with guys playing more minutes.

As such I expect Brogdon to be in the 30 mpg range.  Get the top guys ramped up gradually

Injury avoidance is a weird science.

Brogdon is out tonight but he is not injured.  It sounds like a PTO day.

Any bets on how fast Marcus recovers from his ankle injury?  He usually bounces back early.