The Boston Celtics made it clear that they have a place for Jordan Mickey in their future when they gave him the biggest contract a second round draft pick has ever received. It’s incredibly rare that a second round draft pick will come in and have an impact as a rookie and with the depth the Celtics have it is no surprise that Mickey has been spending the majority of his time in the D League.
Jared Sullinger has stepped up for the Celtics, Kelly Olynyk is having his best year, Amir Johnson is contributing on both ends, Jonas Jerebko is finally shooting well and even Tyler Zeller is becoming effective. All that means is that there simply is no room for Jordan Mickey. The Celtics already have a tough time distributing front court minutes and they would have to drastically change their rotation in order to incorporate Mickey.
The Celtics would either have to completely eliminate the role of at least one of their bigs or they would have to sacrifice minutes across the board to create a role for Mickey. It is not as if the Celtics’ bigs are struggling. They have multiple young players who are finally settling into their roles on the team and Brad Stevens has made it clear that he does not want to disrupt that rhythm.
Following Mickey’s triple double (with blocks) last week in Maine Stevens had this to say, “That’s the reality of our situation. And, to his credit, he’s made the most of it by staying in a rhythm by playing up there and I think he’s done a lot of good things. Some things that will really be able to translate, I think. And some things that he just needs to continue to improve upon. He’s closer to ready than ever before because of his continued work”.
There is no doubting that Mickey has already done more than enough in the D League to at least have an opportunity with the Celtics. Mickey is thoroughly dominating in the minors. He is averaging 18.7 points on 51% shooting with 10.5 rebounds and an absurd 4.3 blocks per game. And, don’t look now, but Mickey is quietly shooting just under 40% from three point range.
It appears as though Mickey is becoming exactly the player the Celtics wanted him to be when they gave him his contract. Mickey is an efficient and athletic finisher that will be a terror blocking shots despite being undersized and he is developing an outside shot. Obviously Mickey would not look this good if he were playing against NBA players but he has passed any test with flying colours so far.
While many people will plead for the Celtics to bring Mickey up and figure out the rotation that way but it is not that simple. The Celtics are in a unique position where they are a factor in the eastern conference while in the middle of a rebuild. The Celtics simply have too many players who are still defining their role.
One luxury the Celtics have with Mickey is time. Mickey suffers in no way playing in the D League and the Celtics know that it is only a matter of time before he gains a role in the NBA. The Celtics can wait with Mickey because they know he is guaranteed to get an opportunity. With the rest of the Celtics’ front court there is much less time. The Celtics are still trying to settle into a consistent core and their front court is one of the most chaotic in the league. Right now is the only time for the majority of the Celtics’ front court and they do not want to throw any of them away until they know for sure.
Once the Celtics figure out which bigs that are currently with the team will have a long term place on the team, then Stevens can begin to integrate Mickey. It may be frustrating having to wait as the Celtics appear to be wasting a great talent in the D League but they are thinking long term here.
All the players currently a part of the Celtics’ front court still have something to prove. The Celtics have young guys who will be looking for a new contract and they have to figure out if the likes of Johnson and Lee are worth keeping.
It may only be a matter of time before Mickey becomes the most important player in the Celtics’ front court but calling him up now has the potential to do more harm than good. Mickey will not receive enough minutes in order to have the impact that fans are expecting and it will only make it longer for the Celtics to settle into the front court of their future.
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Patience is clearly going to be the key with Mickey but if he keeps up his torrid pace in the D League then the Celtics will have no other choice than to find a way to give him a role on the team, even if it is at the cost of another player who is currently playing well. If anything, Mickey is putting even more pressure on the fringe players that know if they become expendable, the Celtics have someone waiting to take their place.