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Boston Celtics Going All Small in Summer League

By Joshua Bateman

Apr 26, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Lamar Patterson (13) shoots the ball over Boston Celtics guard James Young (13) and forward Jordan Mickey (55) in the fourth quarter in game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Celtics 110-83. The Hawks defeated the Celtics 110-83. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Lamar Patterson (13) shoots the ball over Boston Celtics guard James Young (13) and forward Jordan Mickey (55) in the fourth quarter in game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Celtics 110-83. The Hawks defeated the Celtics 110-83. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Celtics have gone as small as possible with their summer league roster

The Boston Celtics have released their summer league roster (via Mass Live) and one thing immediately jumps out at you, they do not have a single player that is taller than 6’9. The Celtics have shown a tendency to play a lot of small ball, but never to this extent. The Celtics are guaranteed to be undersized in every single matchup, but that could be exactly what Brad Stevens needs his young players to get comfortable with.

There were rumours that the Celtics asked and were interested in the 16th overall pick, Guerschon Yabusele, playing center. Now, there is no doubting that he will get that opportunity. By normal standards, Yabusele is an undersized center on any roster but that is not the case with the Celtics’ summer league squad.

With Yabusele only having played in France and not having any real experience playing the 5, this summer league could be crucial to what the Celtics expect his role to be. Yabusele will not be the only one to attempt to be a small ball center. Mouphtaou Yarou is the only player actually listed as a center, but Ben Bentil and Jordan Mickey should also get opportunities to truly test out their position versatility.

The Celtics’ size also means they will see how many positions Jaylen Brown is able to cover. The 6’7 forward is expected to spend most of his time at the 3, but with his ability on the defensive end the Celtics will surely  test him out at the 4 (no I do not think they are crazy enough to try him at the 5, but you never really know.)

With Yarou being a long shot to make the roster at best, it is Yabusele, Bentil and Mickey that need to be watched closely as they should all get an opportunity to prove they can play the 5. Bentil could give the Celtics another stretch 5 to go along with Kelly Olynyk, and Mickey may be the only player that has a chance to be a true undersized rim protector, while Yabusele’s high end potential is to be a dynamic offensive threat while bringing some interior defense.

The Celtics know the direction they are trending in, and they are making sure that they are on the same page at every level. It takes a lot of adjustments to be able to play with the kind of position versatility that the Celtics look for and it is impossible to expect these young players to immediately come in and be comfortable playing in such an undersized system.

It will also be interesting to see what the Celtics do with their bigger guards, potentially giving them a chance to stretch the floor in the court court. It’s hard to imagine James Young or R.J Hunter having close to the kind of defense they would need to play in the front court, but they should expect some time at the 3 and opportunities at the four cannot be ruled out.

Mar 16, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard James Young (13) drives the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kyle Singler (5) in the second half at TD Garden. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Celtics 130-109. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard James Young (13) drives the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kyle Singler (5) in the second half at TD Garden. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Celtics 130-109. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

It is no coincidence that every forward on the Celtics’ summer league roster is between 6’6 and 6’9. The Celtics have made it clear that they are looking for special position versatility out of their forwards and that is the kind of height they need to be able to move them around the way Stevens wants.

The Celtics have clearly opted to go as small as possible in the summer league and they have an opportunity to evaluate all of these forwards abilities to play the 3, 4 or 5.

The Celtics have made a clear effort to completely reshape their front court. After the disaster it became last season, the Celtics knew that big changes had to be done to the front court before they could be contenders.

The Celtics re looking at Al Horford, Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard in free agency, but they are starting to collect the young prospects they need to establish the depth that they need, while taking opportunities at raw players with all kinds of of potential.

The Celtics are in the process of completely rebuilding their front court and the summer league is going to be a crucial part of that process. Before they are able to evaluate how good these players can be in the NBA, they first need to make sure that they can be comfortable in the system that Stevens is looking to establish.

Next: Amir Johnson isn't a terrible safety net

Everything is pointing towards versatility in the Celtics’ front court and even if having no players above 6’9 on their summer league roster will put them at a disadvantage, it puts them in the best position to evaluate what kind of versatility these young players have.

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