The Boston Celtics should not sign Tacko Fall solely based off potential

With the NBA preseason having all but arrived, the Boston Celtics are flush with questions pertaining to their final 15 man roster. While they may be in need of  some fine tuning, the team should not make major decisions based solely on emotions.

If the Boston Celtics fan base had their way, Tacko Fall would already have a 7-6 bronze statue standing outside of the TD Garden, let alone be apart of the team’s final 15 man roster come tip-off on October 23rd. While this all sounds well and good, at the moment it is merely a pipe dream.

As reality would have it, Fall is only one of a hand full of NBA hopefuls vying for the final slot on the official Celtics roster heading into 2019-20. Though his chances of making the cut are just as likely as any of the other young participants, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, Fall’s agent, Justin Hayes, is confident the supergiant will land himself in the NBA, one way or another.

"“The Celtics believe that with further development Fall could become an NBA contributor. But it’s unclear if they want to keep a development project on the roster. That’s where things become tricky. Fall signed an Exhibit 10 contract, meaning he will receive a $50,000 bonus if he is waived and agrees to then join the Maine Red Claws. But Fall’s agent, Justin Haynes has insisted that Fall will be picked up by another NBA team before that happens, and that has been reiterated to the team recently, league sources said.”"

Haynes may be blowing smoke, but there could also be genuine interest in Fall from other NBA circles. And that is fine. If Fall doesn’t prove to be a fit with the current iteration of the Boston Celtics, so be it.

The reason why he wouldn’t make the final roster would have to do with his inability to adapt to the professional game. During his four-year stint with UCF, the size difference between the Senegalese tower and his opponents was vast. In the NBA, while he will still be the tallest player in the association, he will not be able to bully the Nikola Jokic‘s, Joel Embiid‘s or even Boban Marjanovic‘s of the world.

Short of being able to assert himself physically, Fall doesn’t offer an NBA team much. His post-work is very much a work in progress, and his shooting is an area of major weakness. His free-throw percentages tailed off from a not so impressive 56% average from the line in his freshman year on limited attempts to an abysmal 36% in his senior year on five attempts per game.

Fall has been seen working on his shooting in summer workout clips that have become staples of the NBA offseason. Even Enes Kanter has offered his support for Fall’s improvement.

But if Fall cannot prove he has made leaps and bounds in his development this offseason, all of the parading around Boston, camaraderie with his teammates and excitement from the fans isn’t reason enough to keep him around.

If another team wants him at that point, he can be had (shooting woes and all). The Boston Celtics need to prioritize winning with their current core, and if Fall isn’t a fit, Danny Ainge needs to call Haynes’ bluff.