Examining Jordan Mickey’s Role This Season

Jordan Mickey can become a solid part of Celtics’ rotation

With the signing of Al Horford, the Boston Celtics have strengthened their roster significantly and solved one of the biggest issues for them for this offseason: their frontcourt. With the return of both Jonas Jerebko and Amir Johnson we have a quite clear picture of what Boston’s front court rotation will look like, even though things haven’t cleared up completely, as the Celtics are rumored to be on the market for another big guy.

With a frontline like this, Jordan Mickey is definitely a guy who can play a solid role in the Celtics’ roster and earn some decent playing time. Mickey spent most of the last season playing in the D-League with the Maine Red Claws, and while he appeared in 16 NBA games, he mostly played during the final minutes of the games totaling just 57 minutes of playing time. While in the D-League he averaged more than 17 points and 10 rebounds, but the most impressive stat about him was his 4.4 blocks per game.

Mickey is a young guy who could make an impact on the defensive end, as he can bring some very specific things to the table. At 6’8” Mickey is not the typical big guy in the paint, but his length and his leaping ability help him to protect the rim effectively.

He is a terrific shot blocker, as his numbers indicate, and there is no doubt that Mickey can become the rim protector the Celtics need. His shot blocking ability was there since his college years as he had blocked more than 100 shots in both of his seasons at LSU. The question is if Mickey can become something more than a rim protector for Boston.

Apart from his shot blocking ability, Jordan Mickey is also very competent in team defense as he has the instincts to help his teammates and cover up mistakes on the defensive end. The key for him to go to the next level is if he can manage to guard smaller opponents, especially on the perimeter.

Even in this small sample we have seen him play, we have been able to see some flashes of his skills to guard smaller players. Certainly he has a lot of work to do, but should he manage to switch effectively in the pick-and-roll, that will definitely boost his game and his playing time in the league. With the small ball trend in the NBA, it’s becoming more and more important for a team to have guys in the roster who can switch multiple screens. Mickey can be that guy and fill the role of the big guy in a small lineup.

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Offensively, Mickey’s game can be described as a work in progress, but that’s absolutely normal. The most promising sign is that he seems to be establishing a more consistent mid-range jumper. If he manages to maintain his stroke from deep, it will fully change his potential as an NBA player.

He will be considered a versatile big guy who can block shots, make shots and switch on defense – that’s exactly the definition of the small ball center in today’s game. I am not saying that Mickey can transform to Draymond Green, but he certainly has the tools to develop to one of the most versatile bigs in the NBA. After all, he is just 21-years-old and, as we have seen, the Celtics’ organization, and especially Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens, seem to have faith in him and want him to develop properly without any rush.

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Unfortunately, his shoulder didn’t let him participate in Utah’s Summer League where we could take a look at his improvement since last year. I hope that he will be able to play in Las Vegas and I am really looking forward to this season, as Mickey not only might have a bright future ahead of him, but also will be able to be a valuable part of Celtics’ rotation and contribute in many different ways.