Jordan Mickey offers Celtics much-needed rim protection

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Boston Celtics Summer League 2015: Jordan Mickey offers Celtics much-needed rim protection




Jordan Mickey has been protecting the rim for the Boston Celtics at the 2015 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Print Email Tom Westerholm | twesterh@masslive.com By Tom Westerholm | twesterh@masslive.com

on July 15, 2015 at 12:20 AM, updated July 15, 2015 at 12:21 AM





LAS VEGAS — Boston Celtics rookie Jordan Mickey doesn't necessarily look like a rim-protector, which can actually be a good thing.

With 6:30 remaining in the second quarter of the Celtics' 101-69 win over the Miami Heat at the 2015 NBA Summer League on Tuesday, Heat big man Gabriel Olaseni tried to free himself from Mickey for a step-back jumper.

Mickey was ready.

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"I kind of knew he thought he had enough space," Mickey said. "I'm a little longer than people think I am."

Olaseni quickly realized how Mickey's length can swallow up the sky. The former LSU big man exploded off the ground in tandem with Olaseni, swatting the shot away — one of Mickey's three blocks in the game.

"At the beginning of the game, people don't always realize I'm a lengthy guy," Mickey said. "So they try to just do regular layups and jump shots...As the game goes on, they look for me to see where I'm at. Nobody wants to get their shot blocked. It's embarrassing."

Mickey finished with three blocks, but as is the case with the vast majority of shot blockers, his biggest contribution was his presence in the paint. The Heat repeatedly attacked the hoop looking for easy baskets, but Mickey's presence made everything uncomfortable. He's mastering the art of avoiding the defensive three-second call — tagging offensive players coming through the lane and rotating when necessary.

"He's picked things up really quickly," Celtics Summer League coach Micah Shrewsberry said. "He's almost like a sponge. We watched a lot of film early on in practice, and you weren't sure if he was going to quite grasp it because everything was totally new to him. To watch him now, he's really getting the hang of getting in a stance and stopping the ball. Now he's playing his game defensively — he's coming from the weak side and blocking shots, and he's playing with more instincts instead of thinking. It's been impressive."

Last season, the Celtics badly lacked the shot blocking Mickey provides. While Tyler Zeller acted as a rim protector as best he could (and often outperformed expectations), the rest of Boston's front line provided little help for wings who were beaten off the dribble. Mickey said providing that help is most of his focus on the defensive end.

"I'm mainly in the middle blocking shots," he said. "I'm just trying to help guys out."

Through five Summer League games, Mickey is averaging 2.6 blocks. Save one game in which he recorded zero, he's had three or more in every contest. Other teams may not be ready for Mickey to be a shot-blocker yet, but the Celtics have taken notice of how unique he would be on their roster.

"He's a different type of player that we haven't had," Shrewsberry said. "It does make a difference when you have someone back there that people are thinking about when they drive to the basket...He does have really great bounce. He's very quick off his feet, and he's got great timing."




bob


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It's not out of the question that—as far as defense is concerned—Mickey could play the role of KG beside someone with the toughness (but hopefully not the hands) of Perk.

Sam