Why Kadeem Allen Could Earn a Role on the Celtics this Year
Don’t be surprised if Kadeem Allen earns himself a role on the Celtics as early as this season.
The Boston Celtics selected Arizona guard Kadeem Allen with the 53rd pick in the 2017 NBA Draft on Thursday. The Celtics also selected Jayson Tatum, Semi Ojeleye, and Jabari Bird with their four draft selections.
Tatum and Ojeleye will almost certainly have spots in the Celtics rotation at some point during the year, but there aren’t a ton of minutes to go around. The Celtics made it to the eastern conference finals this past season with a roster full of players that contribute to a winning team.
This makes it hard for a late second round pick like Allen to carve out a role. Boston doesn’t have time for young players to work through their mistakes in games because every win counts. However, this is why the Celtics went with a pattern of drafting older, more experienced players in the second round.
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Allen averaged 9.8 points, four rebounds and three assists in his senior season at Arizona as a 24-year-old. He isn’t a shot creator, but shot 42% from three. His best basketball ability is his perimeter defense, where he took on the toughest defensive assignment in every game for the Wildcats last season.
Allen is undersized for a versatile perimeter defender at 6’2″, but he has a 6’9″ wingspan that allows him to play bigger than his height. Watching him play defense reminds me of both Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart. He has the quickness and fast hands that make life miserable for opposing guards like Bradley. He also has the presence of mind to take charges and force turnovers in unexpected moments like Smart, while playing with extreme intensity at all times.
Couple the intense defense with a reliable three point stroke, and you have a 3-and-D type of player that is experienced enough to handle the pressure of playing for a top team like the Celtics. Boston struggled with injuries in their back court this season, and having a reserve like Allen in Maine could make it easier for Stevens to keep his wing players in their roles and having an experienced guard pick up where the man in front of him left off.
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We’ll have to see what Allen does in summer league play to see if he can in fact earn a role on the team compared to what Demetrius Jackson does as well. The Celtics are paying a substantial amount of money to Jackson compared to other second round guards, so they might cut ties to save cap space for a big time free agent. Allen playing on a significantly smaller deal with more marginal production could make a lot of sense for Boston.