Coty Clarke Can Fill a Major Need for Boston

Just as the Boston Celtics finalized their training camp roster there were some unfamiliar names added to the mix. In addition to the already over packed roster the Celtics decided to give former Razorback, Coty Clarke, a shot at the team.

While the amount of players currently fighting for a roster spot make it unrealistic to expect Clarke to make the roster, he has an opportunity to play an important role if he can be impressive.

Amidst the incredible guard and power forward depth on the Celtics they have left themselves with a depleted small forward core. The Celtics are strong with Jae Crowder in the starting lineup but there is not much behind him.

The Celtics have David Lee, Evan Turner, Jonas Jerebko and Perry Jones who may all be used at the small forward position, but none of them will be as natural or fit as well into the team as Clarke would at the small forward position. While all these players have experience playing small forward, Perry Jones is the only one who has spent the majority of his career at that position.

Jan 28, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (5) controls the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Perry Jones (3) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks defeated the Thunder 100-92. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately, there are multiple problems with Jones. First off, his career has been very short and the Thunder were never able to optimize his ability on the court. Second of all, his size does not fit nearly as well as Clarke. The Celtics love to play small ball and having a 6’11 small forward impacts that in a negative way.

Size is not even the biggest issue for Jones because that is something that Stevens could surely work around. The bigger problem for Jones is his play on the defensive end. He was never given enough minutes to have a trustworthy sample size but Jones’ defense was simply unacceptable. Even by the Celtics’ standards, a defensive rating of 104, 107 and 108 will be a liability on the court.

Even per 36 minutes, Jones has never averaged even one block per game and was under 5 rebounds per game a season ago. Again, his stats with the Thunder are difficult to gauge because of the sample size but his college stats do not help him either. Jones’ defensive rating is much more respectable at Baylor as both his years were under 100 but he remained unproductive in two areas that the Celtics need a boost.

If Stevens is going to put size in at the small forward position they are going to need them to contribute with at least rebounding the ball, and preferably blocking shots as well. Even at Baylor, Jones never averaged even a block per game and was under 8 rebounds per game in each season.

Jones has the potential to be a capable defender but on a team that already struggles to defend he is not going to do much to boost them. Clarke may be in a similar situation where he could struggle to make a difference but he has a lot more potential to have an impact on the defensive end.

Clarke was a standout defender at Arkensas and posted defensive ratings of 92.4 and 91.4. Crowder’s second year in college was on another level with a defensive rating of 85.7 but his average from his career there is not far off as his first season was much weaker at 97.4. The Celtics may expect nothing from Clarke on the offensive end (even though he did shoot 43% on 1.7 threes per game) but he can be a formidable defensive backup to Crowder.

Feb 8, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores forward James Siakam (35) goes for the loose ball against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Coty Clarke (4) during the first half at Memorial Gym. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Clarke also has phenomenal size coming out of college. Not only is he 6’7, allowing the Celtics to maintain their small, ball but he also weighs in at 232 pounds which is just under Crowder’s current weight of 240 pounds. Clarke may not be as polished of a defender but he has the physical stature to keep up with some of the stronger athletes, especially if he is going to be matching up against second units.

Unfortunately, the flip side to Clarke is he may be completely unproductive in almost every phase of the game. He may be a solid defensive backup but there is not that much potential to improve the team in any other way except for much needed depth. It is less concerning than Jones because of his small height but Clarke was also a poor rebounder and blocker in college. Clarke just breaks 1 block per game and 10 rebounds per game per 40 minutes but they may not need that out of him.

Clarke will have a difficult time making the team simply as a strong backup defender but if he can be impressive in training camp there is no doubting that the Celtics could use that depth. The Celtics may be able to get formidable enough defense out of a combination of Jones, Turner, Lee and Jerebko but Clarke will not be forced to play out of position and it would allow the others to be much more comfortable in their roles.

Clarke will have a long difficult battle ahead of him but he is in the best position out of the new signings to make the roster. The Celtics could benefit greatly if Clarke can impress in training camp, the only problem is that it will be at the cost of one of the many young and talented players who will have to sacrifice their roster spot. The Celtics are still rebuilding so high potential may be more important than a solid backup defender.

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