Jordan Mickey Deserves Playing Time with Olynyk Injury

Kelly Olynyk has started to figure out his game in the NBA this season and has also become a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year on the way. Although, a dislocated right shoulder has sidelined him for a couple of weeks following the all-star break. That’s a big shoe to fill for the Boston Celtics as he has been the team’s best three-point shooter and has the ability to spread the floor like no other big man on the team can.

This could have led to David Lee finally seeing some minutes after falling out of the rotation in early January, however, reports are saying that he will be bought out on Friday. Tyler Zeller will surely see more playing time after his great stretch of games leading up to the all-star break. Jonas Jerebko, who has been decent but nothing spectacular, may also see a couple more minutes, although, Jordan Mickey should get the bulk of Olynyk’s minutes.

Jordan Mickey is a second round pick out of LSU and has only appeared in three games with the team thus far. He was recently sent down to the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s D-League affiliate, but has recently arrived in Utah to join the Celtics after Olynyk got a second opinion on his shoulder. While Mickey has spent most of his time in the D-League, that has not stopped fans from begging for him.

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Before the Celtics went on their 10-2 stretch before the break, Boston was hoping to see a little of Mickey as the team was barely limping by. That was not the case though. But this is the perfect opportunity for the young player to get his feet wet.

The Celtics drafted three rookies in this past draft, R.J. Hunter and Terry Rozier along with Mickey. Neither Hunter or Rozier were able to find their footing in the NBA during their short stints with the team. There is a lot of hope that the second-rounder out of LSU will be able to break that trend.

Mickey was a D-League all-star this season, and one of the most dominant forces on both sides of the ball. At 6’8″ he is a little undersized at power forward but uses his athleticism to his advantage to make up for the lack of height. With Maine, Mickey’s stat line is ridiculous. He has averages of, 17.1 points, 10.4 rebounds (fourth in the D-League) and 4.6 blocks per game (leads the D-League) in 33.9 minutes. That’s to go along with a 51.8 field goal percentage and 33.3 three-point percentage. His defensive rating of 98.5 is second in the D-League and he owns the seventh best PER at 22.1 as well.

Coming out of LSU, there was no questioning Mickey’s athletic and defensive ability. He has proven that his height is not a problem and he also sports a more advanced offensive game than many thought he would in his rookie season.

If Mickey is given the opportunity and shines, he could be a missing piece for the Celtics this season and in the future. Amir Johnson‘s minutes per game have dipped to a season-low 18.1 during February, despite being the best inside presence on the team. Part of that is due to Tyler Zeller’s production down low as of late.

Mickey’s offensive game is still not polished enough to be a major factor in the NBA, yet. However, that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be effective in a pick-and-roll scenario with Isaiah Thomas. Mickey has the ability to lose his man when rolling to the basket because of his athleticism, jumping ability and quickness over other power forwards. His ability to play down low and step behind the line, to space the floor, would be a huge asset for the team as well. Boston is lacking a true ‘bruiser’ down low, and while Mickey doesn’t have the pot-up game yet, he can at least be a body down low on offense.

His defense is his ticket though as it is already at an NBA level, something Brad Stevens will love. His size has obviously not been a factor in the D-League this season as he leads the league in blocks and is second in block percentage (9.7). While he won’t lead the NBA in blocks, I don’t think being 6’8″ down low will have any affect on his play style or results. Adding another defensive force down low, besides Johnson, would be a huge addition for Boston. He may not have the same impact that Dwight Howard would have had, however, any type of presence down low will help.

Tyler Zeller is a true seven-footer but his defense is nowhere near the level of Mickey’s. Besides, having Zeller in the paint on defense doesn’t bring fear to anyone.

Boston has had one of the most crowded forntcourts in the NBA this season, and that has led to Jordan Mickey not being used. However, the way he has torn up the D-League suggests that he would have seen some sort of playing time on most teams.

The Celtics are in the midst of a playoff race, but what do they really have to lose? With your top frontcourt reserve out, Lee about to get bought out, and Johnson’s minutes declining as of late, why not see what the rookie can do? The Celtics already know the ability of Jerebko and Zeller, who started the majority of games last season. Boston knows that their team is compiled of many average to above-average frontcourt players whose main role should be coming off the bench.

I’m not suggesting that Jordan Mickey is the next Bill Russell, or even a future all-star. I do think he has a ton of potential and it’s better to see what you have in him now before the off-season when you have to decide whether to bring back Jared Sullinger and/or Jerebko.

Next: Was Staying Put the Right Move for Boston?

Boston has dealt with R.J. Hunter’s poor shooting and Terry Rozier’s undeveloped NBA game thus far, so why not give Mickey a chance? The time is right and they have nothing to lose.

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