What will Vincent Poirier’s Impact be on the Boston Celtics?

With the departures of Aron Baynes and Al Horford, the Boston Celtics have hopes for new signee Vincent Poirier to supply both energy and a much-needed defensive presence.

On July 15th, the Boston Celtics signed Vincent Poirier to a two-year veteran minimum contract ($5.1 million). A late bloomer to the sport of basketball, this is his first time officially making an NBA roster. Poirier was, however, a part of the 2017 Brooklyn Nets summer league team. On this squad, during his four appearances, he averaged only 1.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 10 minutes of play.

Poirier also saw time on the Orlando Magic summer league roster in 2016 where in 5 games he averaged 4.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in around twelve minutes of action. The 25-year-old center joins the Celtics from the Spanish EuroLeague team, Saski-Baskonia.

So, what does Vincent Poirier bring to Celtics?

He sets hard screens, rolls hard, and catches lobs, in particular, his finishing ability around the rim relies on brute power. Poirier knows his role and rarely shot from outside the paint, last season despite having a polished shooting form. Poirier’s game has Tyson Chandler-eqse tendencies, always providing energy, setting screens, and rolling to the basket.

Known for his physicality and defensive intensity, Poirier led the very-competitive EuroLeague in rebounding last season, averaging eight boards during 25.3 minutes of play. He ranked 8th in blocked shots, recording just under one a game. Last season, his team finished third in defensive rebounds and fourth in total rebounds during EuroLeague play.

This summer, Poirier backed up French big man and Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert during the FIBA Basketball World Cup. France took home the Bronze Medal with impressive victories over the U.S., Australia, and Germany. Poirier, while limited to a back-up role, played well during his time on the floor, still finishing second in rebounds behind Gobert.

When given more playing time, Poirier demonstrated his ability to play within the French system. During an international friendly match against Brazil, Poirier posted 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in only 17 minutes of play. He also demonstrated the ability to defend shorter and quicker guards on the perimeter, a skill which Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter both struggle with.

At the big man spot, the Celtics will be juggling minutes between Enes Kanter, Robert Williams, Daniel Theis, and now Poirier. Of the four, Poirier might have the highest motor. His rim runs and explosion out of the pick-and-roll give the Celtics something they don’t have.

The off-season for Celtic big-men went as such: Poirier was acquired on July 15th five days after the Al Horford departure and nine days after trading away Aron Baynes. Despite signing Enes Kanter the day (July 1st) free agency opened, the Celtics needed to find defensive bigs in the absence of Horford and Baynes, who were two of the top 20 ranked centers in defensive real plus/minus. Adding onto the urgency to find defensive talent, Enes Kanter struggles on the defensive end as he ranked 66th out of 67 possible centers in defensive real plus/minus.

Two days after signing, Poirier the Celtics decided to also re-sign Daniel Theis to a two-year $10 million contract. Many saw Poirier as a replacement for Theis, who played limited minutes during the playoffs. The Boston Celtics decided to keep the tandem of international bigs as they each give the Celtics something different.

Managing the minutes of Poirier, Theis, and Williams will be an exciting puzzle for Brad Stevens to work out. Of the three, Theis is the most skilled shooter, but also the most undersized and laterally inept. Williams showed flashes of defensive brilliance and should have more minutes to develop this season. With this in mind, there will undoubtedly be games where Poirier, Theis, or Williams fail to see significant time on the floor.

The top teams in the east – Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Indiana, even Brooklyn and Detroit – all have at least two capable big men at their disposal. The Boston Celtics, as of now, fail to have as much depth at the center spot. Who knows? We could see Poirier getting the chance to match up against players like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Myles Turner.

Poirier’s game is very plug-and-play, as Boston Celtics fans should expect complete effort on both sides of the floor. He screams, grit and grind.  As he noted during a Media Day interview, “I like to do the dirty jobs. Take some rebounds, block shots, run the floor, put good screens for everybody”