REPORTS: CELTICS TO MEET WITH GREG MONROE, AL-FAROUQ AMINU

WEEI

By Ben Rohrbach

The Celtics are expected to inquire about almost every available name this summer, so their rumored interest in Greg Monroe and Al-Farouq Aminu should come as no surprise in the days leading up to the July 1 free agent frenzy.

The 6-foot-11, 253-pound Monroe will meet with the Celtics, Blazers, Bucks, Knicks and Lakers this week, according to The Advocate in Baton Rouge. The Louisiana native averaged 15.9 points (54.9 true shooting percentage), 10.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game for the Pistons this past season, producing a 21.2 player efficiency rating.

Monroe certainly fulfills a rebounding need for the Celtics, ranking among the league’s top 20 in both offensive rebound percentage (11.2) and defensive rebound percentage (25.1). He is an adept scorer inside of 8 feet, where he made more than 90 percent of his successful field goals.

However, Monroe isn’t an elite defender, as opponents shoot a robust 55.1 percent at the rim against him. For reference sake, Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger and Brandon Bass all held opponents to a lower field goal percentage at the rim. Monroe also doesn’t have the floor-spacing ability that Celtics coach Brad Stevens seems to covet, as the big man converted just 34.8 percent of his 92 shots outside of 8 feet.

Similarly, Aminu will sit down with the Celtics, Blazers, Knicks, Pelicans and Raptors, according to NBA.com’s David Aldridge. The 24-year-old wing averaged 5.6 points (50.4 true shooting percentage) and 4.6 rebounds in just 18.5 minutes for the Mavericks in 2014-15, registering a 14.4 player efficiency rating.

The Mavs’ defense improved by four points per 100 possessions with Aminu on the floor, so he has the defense portion of a 3-and-D wing down. It’s his 3-point shooting that remains in question. Aminu shot just 27.4 percent on 1.7 3-pointers per game this past season — right around his career 28.6 3-point percentage.

Neither Monroe nor Aminu would transform the Celtics into contenders, although both would help improve the roster. But at what cost? Aminu should be an affordable option, although it appears the C’s will have to outbid several other teams for his services, and Monroe is rumored to be looking for a short-term max deal that would make him a free agent again in two seasons, which could work well for both sides.

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