Ian Mahinmi is a Safe Second Option for Celtics

Ian Mahinmi would be a solid signing by the Celtics this off-season

The goal for the Boston Celtics this off-season is to sign a star in free agency. They have a big hole down low that they’d love to patch with Al Horford or Hassan Whiteside. Either would help the Celtics get closer to their ultimate goal of winning the title, but it’s very possible that the Celtics strike out this off-season.

If that’s the case, Boston will have to turn to Plan B, and Ian Mahinmi wouldn’t be a bad place to start. Mahinmi isn’t going to get a lot of attention at the beginning of the off-season, however with a weak free agency class, teams will start to look towards the second-tier of players quickly. That could leave many teams, including the Celtics, trying to find a diamond in the rough and hit big on a non-star free agent.

Coming off being the regular starting center for the Indiana Pacers last season, Mahinmi enters free agency for the second time in his career. It couldn’t have come at a better time for Mahinmi. Not only is the salary cap increasing this summer but he put together a career-year over his 71 starts with the Pacers.

Mahinmi set career-highs across the board, eventually finishing the season averaging 9.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in 25.6 minutes. It might not be eye-popping numbers, although he managed to give Indiana very good production as he averaged a double-double per 36 minutes (13.1 points, 10.1 rebounds).

Mahinmi finished the season averaging 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals per 36 minutes, showcasing why he’d be a perfect fit with the Celtics.

Boston is in desperate need of a rim protector, and Mahinmi is just that. He’s not super nimble around the perimeter, however, at 6’11” and 250 pounds, Mahinmi is a natural center who causes problems for opposing teams in the paint. Playing over half the game, Mahinmi can act as the last wall of defense for Boston.

He’s not going to be among the league leaders in blocks, but, Mahinmi has improved in contesting shots without fouling. This was the first year of his career that he averaged under five fouls per 36 minutes (4.4). That’s huge for a starter, especially a rim protector because the last thing you want is to get your team in foul trouble and continuously put the opposing team to the line.

Mahinmi’s defense is clearly the strongest part of his game, mostly because his game revolves around doing the dirty work and that’s what makes a great defender. Still, Mahinmi is very productive on the offensive end.

He’s not the type of player you can feed the ball into down low, however, he’s a rare big man who likes to hang in the paint. In fact, 62.7 percent of his shots last season came in the paint. While he doesn’t possess amazing post moves, he’s an effective offensive rebounder (1.9 per game) and finished nicely around the rim.

He shot 69 percent from inside of three feet, although he was still able to step out and be effective as he connected on 48.6 percent of his shots from 3-to-10 feet out. Overall, Mahinmi shot an impressive 58.9 percent from the field with a 60.3 true shooting percentage. Although, he was only able to hit on 58.7 percent of his free-throws, showing why he’s not a reliable pick-and-roll option from 16-feet out.

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He’s an option for opposing guards who want to drop it to him in the paint when his defender collapses, or when he’s left open for a short jump shot. Mahinmi owns an impressive 8.3 offensive rebounding percentage, but it’s also not a surprise that 75.8 percent of his makes last season were assisted on, highlighting his ability to finish the dirty work rather than being a back to the basket player.

While Mahinmi has only been an everyday starter one season thus far, he showed great improvement last season as the year went on. His best stretch of games was in March and April, during the Pacers’ final 20 games.

In 14 games in March, Mahinmi averaged a very impressive 11.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in 29.1 minutes. Also, he shot 56.5 percent from the field. Not only does his production increase, but Mahinmi was able to play nearly 30 minutes per night. That’s huge for interested teams as they’d likely want him to be effective around that amount of time, and he didn’t top 25 minutes per night over the first three months.

Some worries do come when looking at his postseason performance though. During Indiana’s seven game series against the Toronto Raptors, Mahinmi wasn’t able to provide the same output as he did in the regular season. He only averaged 24.6 minutes per contest, similar to the regular season. Also, his Per 36 minutes average dipped to 11.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, and he only shot 50 percent from the field.

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The emergence of rookie Myles Turner was a factor in his lesser output, and a reason why the Pacers will likely not bring him back. After trading for Thaddeus Young, the Pacers will be able to move Paul George back to his natural small forward position and should feel comfortable starting Turner at center.

Teams won’t be lining out the door for Mahinmi’s services, at least not right away. There is still a chance that Boston will land Horford, Whiteside or Kevin Durant, however, Mahinmi has proven to be a solid contributor as a starter or off the bench during his NBA career. He’s also been a winner wherever he’s gone as he’s played in the playoffs six of his eight seasons and won the championship with the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks.

Adding a defensive-minded center, who doesn’t demand the ball on offense, is what the Celtics should look for if they miss out on the top-tier of free agents this off-season. He won’t command a max contract, however, he is coming off a career-year and will want to take advantage of this payday – Mahinmi has never made more than $4 million per year.

Next: What if the Celtics Whiff in Free Agency?

It’s never a bad idea to add a good locker room veteran, especially to a young team. It makes even more sense when looking at how Mahinmi’s inside-oriented game matches with the three-point shooters in Boston who need a big who can rebound on the offensive glass effectively.

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