Player Grades: Spurs 95 – Celtics 93

Jordan Mickey

Grade: B+

18 Points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks

7-12 shooting, 4-7 FT

Mr. Consistency strikes again. On July 18th, Mickey ascended all the way up NBA.com’s Rookie Ladder (which may be more arbitrary than my letter grades). Although he didn’t rebound at the same clip we’ve come to expect of him lately, he continued to block shots at a rate consistent with the league’s most elite shot blockers (albeit against weaker talent).

His skill set transcends the mere shot-blocker pigeonhole he was placed in when drafted 33rd overall. His offensive game is far more polished than we were led to believe. His elbow jumper has the potential to be as consistent as fellow-LSU 2nd-rounder, Brandon Bass. We’ll need that now, especially with Bass gone.

While analysts frequently cite the mid-range jumper as antiquated, labeling it “inefficient”, the reality is that it can be extremely deadly when used appropriately. This is because defensive-rotations nowadays are primarily fixated on closing-off driving lanes and defending the three-point shot. When a team has a deadly mid-range shooter, they’ll need to compensate for this, negatively-affecting their defense on other fronts. With Brandon Bass, we witnessed this, watching Bass night-in-and-night-out hit an inexplicable amount of open jumpers.

Now with Mickey, Stevens doesn’t have to throw away those play calls, as he offers more of this, with a better off-the-dribble game.

Here, Anderson was very obviously lost, however, he should’ve still recognized Mickey has range. Mickey, whose shots weren’t falling at that point, opted to drive into the lane instead and get an and-one basket. This was just one-of-three and-one baskets Mickey made throughout the game.

The most polished aspect of Mickey’s game remains his shot-blocking. While his height doesn’t do him any favors at 6’8″, his jumping ability and shot-anticipation is outstanding. While most Celtics fans would prefer a 7’0″ shot-blocker, Mickey’s game may be more conducive to the C’s as the league begins favoring small ball to traditional styles.

Just sign the contract, Mickey! Let’s make sure you’re in a Celtics jersey for at least four more years. Four more years! Four more years!

Next: Team Grade: Celtics