With Evan Turner being an unrestricted free agent, the Boston Celtics had to find some way to aid their small forward position. Therefore, they drafted Jaylen Brown over Kris Dunn, an enticing trade piece, and big men Marquese Chriss or Dragan Bender. While Brown has his weaknesses, he is expected to see significant minutes off the bench as a rookie.
If the Celtics re-sign Turner, then Boston is three players deep at the small forward spot, with Turner and Brown being able to play shooting guard as well. Despite all of this, reports have surfaced that the Celtics have already made a call to free agent Luol Deng – joining Minnesota, Miami and Washington.
The two-time All-Star is far from the player he once was with the Chicago Bulls, but he still has plenty left in the tank to help a contending team. The most puzzling part of Boston contacting Deng is, the small forward position wasn’t seen as a glaring need anymore following the draft.
With the small ball era clearly upon us, the Celtics could be reaching out to Deng as a power forward though. He has the size at 6’9″ and 220 pounds, and would give the Celtics arguably their best option in the front court, even if they retain Amir Johnson. Right now, Boston doesn’t have a lot of options in that department, especially if they don’t guarantee Jonas Jerebko‘s contract.
That could be very intriguing to Deng who could end up being the starting power forward on Boston next season. After starting 73 of 74 games for the Miami Heat last season, Deng has clearly transformed into a power forward. It was the first time in his career that he saw more time at the four than the three – 73 percent of minutes came at power forward.
Continuing to add versatility to an undersized team is never a bad idea for the Celtics, especially when considering Deng’s track record and how much he’d help Jaylen Brown develop. Even though not so much anymore, Deng was once one of the best perimeter defenders in the game. He’s still very good, however, he’s lost a step with old age and injuries.
His defensive game is very similar to how Brown played at California last season. Brown didn’t force a lot of turnovers – 0.8 steals per game – but he played tough defense and wasn’t easy to score on. Deng is the same way.
The All-Defensive Team selection in 2012 has never averaged more than 1.2 steals per game, yet was considered one of the biggest pests when it came to guarding LeBron James during his time in Chicago. He’s still plenty quick to guard on the perimeter and has never been one to get bullied in the paint. Being a hard-nosed defender is what Boston is hoping Jaylen Brown can become. Therefore, adding Deng to the mix, alongside Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder, forms one of the best defensive units in the league, and a spectacle for Brown to learn from.
Not to mention Deng is still plenty productive on the offensive end, and is a solid rebounder. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged six boards per night, which would have ranked third on Boston last season. That number should go up a little if he joined Boston as well, considering the Heat had Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh for part of the year dominating the glass.
On offense, Deng’s role has changed throughout his career but he’s always been able to adapt. His game revolves around the three-point shot more now – 34.4 percent from three last season – allowing him to spread the floor better than a lot of natural power forwards. Deng is coming off his worst scoring season since his rookie year (12.3) but he his role was a lot smaller last season than in year’s past as he attempted a career-low 10.1 shots per game.
Also, Deng was able to find the fountain of youth in the postseason. He shot a lethal 42.1 percent from three and averaged an impressive 13.3 points per contest through 14 games alongside Dwyane Wade. Obviously it’s not a full season, however, it shows Deng is still capable of being a team’s second or third option if needed, and the ability to get hot for a stretch of games is still there.
He’s a proven kick-out option for driving guards and can also take his defender off the dribble. Just like his defense, he’s far from the All-Star caliber player he once was with the Bulls, but is still very reliable on that end of the floor.
Adding a great locker room guy who is a proven winner in the NBA is what the Celtics are looking for this summer. They also could offer one of the most intriguing situations to Deng to secure a deal.
With Whiteside re-signing in Miami, Bosh expected to return next season, and the Heat wanting to open up every opportunity for Justise Winslow, Deng would likely become their sixth man. That’s a far drop from the 32.4 minutes per game he averaged last season, and I’m not sure he wants to accept a backup role, yet.
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It would likely be the same role offered to him if he joined the Timberwolves or Wizards. Besides the idea of likely being a starter on Boston next season, it’s hard to confidently say any of the before mentioned teams have a better chance at winning over the next couple of seasons than the Celtics.
Of course, Minnesota is geared up to have an amazing run over the next 10 or so years, and reuniting with former coach Tom Thibodeau could also be intriguing to Deng. However, after 12-years in the league, and not one Finals appearance, Deng has to be itching to win sooner than later, and there’s no guarantee Minnesota is ready to become the elite team everyone is expecting this year or next. Also, is a young team and an old coach enough to sway him to accept a role off the bench?
While he’s definitely not the first option you would think of when searching for the Celtics power forward next season, Deng’s versatility and still solid all-around play makes him an intriguing player to think about. He fits into their hard-nosed defense, their perimeter style offense, and runs the floor as well as any traditional power forward they’d find.
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Maybe not an All-Star caliber player anymore, but Deng could help the Celtics, and be a veteran presence in the locker room to mentor the younger players.