Jordan Mickey Can Be the Missing Piece

The Boston Celtics know that they are going to need to establish legitimate paint protection if they are ever going to be a formidable defensive team. The team has what they need in the back court with Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and potentially Terry Rozier but they have absolutely no support from the interior.

Tyler Zeller has given the Celtics very little hope that he can become that force in the paint and Kelly Olynyk is even further behind him. The team made two additions in Amir Johnson and David Lee but neither of them are known for their defensive impact.

Apr 3, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Tyler Zeller (44) works for the ball against Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) and center John Henson (31) in the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The good news is that the Celtics may have exactly what they need on their team. Jordan Mickey is still a second round draft pick with a tremendous amount to prove but if he can reach his potential he can solve the Celtics’ defensive woes.

The Celtics need to find a way to maintain their small ball lineup without sacrificing on the defensive end. Brandon Bass did a solid job filling that role as he came in at 6’8 and held his own on the defensive end. The problem is that Bass lacked the athleticism to have an impact blocking shots and rebounding the ball.

Mickey caught the attention of a lot of people with his ability to block shots in the summer league and that was just continuing what he was doing in college.

The Celtics should be embarrassed to say that their leading blocker did not even approach one block per game. Mickey, on the other hand, averaged 3.1 and 3.6 blocks per game in his two seasons at LSU and even if maintaining those numbers is unrealistic he should still be able to impact the game.

Just to add a little perspective to how dominant Mickey was in college, the league leader in blocks in the NBA last season did not break 3 and after Anthony Davis, nobody managed to break 2.5. Mickey will have to deal with far superior athletes in the big leagues but they are hoping he can be the guy to get around 2 blocks per game.

If Mickey can bring that rim protection and also bring better rebounding then the Celtics will look completely different on the defensive end. Anyone who watched the Celtics in the playoffs last year know that they give up far too many second chance opportunities.

Apr 26, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) grabs the arm of Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20) during the second half in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Mickey has all the physical tools to be both the leading blocker and the leading rebounder and if that is tied together with Jae Crowder covering the opposing team’s best player and any combination of Smart, Bradley and Rozier terrorizing teams on the outside, the Celtics will finally be feared on the defensive end.

The problem is that Mickey may have a tough transition. A lot of Mickey’s success is because of his superior athleticism but that is neutralized when he gets into the NBA. Mickey will lose the athletic edge he had over his opponents in college and he will need to develop before he can have a true impact in the NBA.

Mickey being the missing piece that the Celtics desperately need can become a source of great frustration. It is too unrealistic to expect Mickey to reach that potential immediately but until he reaches that potential they will struggle to contend. The Celtics will have to be patient with Mickey in order to allow him to properly develop.

If the Celtics fall into the trap of rushing things with Mickey in order to have more immediate results they may never see Mickey reach his full potential.

Mickey has an opportunity to change the face of the franchise but he cannot be expected to do it in his rookie season. The Celtics have a lot of young prospects that need to develop and Mickey may be the most important one.

The Celtics have enough power forward depth that they can give Mickey the best possible transition into the NBA. Throw in an easy offensive system to have success in and Mickey is in a great place to become the player the Celtics need him to be.

Jordan Mickey can be the missing piece that the Celtics need but if he is not given an opportunity to properly develop then he may never reach the potential that the Celtics see in him.

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