What Frontcourt Option Should the Celtics Target in Free Agency?

With center Jared Sullinger entering free agency as a restricted free agent, 29-year old big man Amir Johnson having a team option for the second year of the multi-year contract he inked last summer, and the team having ranked in the bottom third in rebounding differential in 2015-16, it is apparent that the Boston Celtics will likely be targeting a frontcourt option once free agency rolls around.

The question remains: should the team attempt to splash on a big man such as Hassan Whiteside or Al Horford and incorporate them as a focal point in the offensive system?

The fact of the matter is that the Celtics would be better served avoiding offering either of these options a maximum contract and dedicate their funds elsewhere, as both of these high-priced centers have glaring flaws which will make it difficult for them to assimilate themselves into the system of head coach Brad Stevens.

First, let’s harp on Whiteside.

While the entertaining personality is a defensive monster in the paint, taking home All-Defensive Second Team honors this past season while swatting an astronomical 3.7 shots per game and piling up 11.8 rebounds per contest while building a tremendous 25.69 PER, the seven-footer has a few glaring holes on offense that make handing him a max deal, such as the Los Angeles Lakers are projected to do, a harrowing prospect.

Despite posting a career-best 14.2 points per game last season, Whiteside lacks any resemblance of a skilled game outside of the post, something that is completely necessary to thrive in today’s NBA, and has garnered the reputation of someone who is unwilling to pass the rock once he receives it, something that would make him a burden is an offensive system predicated on ball movement from all five men.

Whiteside recorded a horrendous 21 assists over the entirety of his four-season career with just 15 coming in 73 appearances in 2015-16. Having him man the middle on offense would slow down the free-flowing fluidity which made the Celtics so successful under Stevens this past season, plodding the pace of a team which relies on an uptempo style.

Horford, on the other hand, would provide Boston with that offensive flexibility that accompanies having a big man with excellent court vision and a propensity for spreading the ball, averaging 3.2 assists in each of the last two seasons while thriving in an Atlanta Hawks offense which predicates itself on crisp ball-sharing.

The eight-year veteran is superb in the pick-and-roll as well, with his offensive game advanced enough that he can roll to the basket and finish with a jam or step out and knock down a midrange jumper or three-pointer, having shot 34% from long range in 2015-16.

However, the wear on Horford’s 30-year old tires combined with his lack of a presence around the rim defensively makes him unworthy of the maximum contract that he is seeking, which should make Celtics general manager Danny Ainge wary of inking him to a deal this summer.

Now, if Boston is to avoid targeting Whiteside or Horford, who should they be after come July 1?

The answer is Golden State Warriors reserve center Festus Ezeli.

While Golden State’s tendency to roll with a small-ball lineup, often playing Draymond Green at the center position, has limited Ezeli’s ability to make a substantial impact on the Warriors deep playoff run (the Vanderbilt product played just three minutes in Golden State’s 120-90 Game 3 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals), the 6’11”, 265-pounder has been impressively impactful when he has been granted the opportunity to see playing time.

Playing just 16.5 minutes per game in the regular season, Ezeli posted 7.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and over a block per contest while shooting a stellar 55% from the field. If the third-year pro was to see his minutes per game average jump to 36 minutes, his per-game stats would balloon to an average of 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks.

While not as stoic of a rim protector as Whiteside, Ezeli has shown promise in that regard, and playing in the Warriors’ Showtime Lakers-esque offensive system has developed him as someone comfortable with racing down the floor, spreading the rock, and finishing in the fast break, setting himself up for success in the Celtics plan of action.

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Furthermore, Ezeli would require a contact hovering around just $15 million per year, a bargain compared to the lengths that signing Whiteside or Horford would require, allowing Ainge to bolster other aspects of the Boston rotation as well this summer.