What Tacko Fall’s two-way contract means for the Boston Celtics roster

The conclusion (for now) of the Tacko Fall offseason saga has been reached. The Senegalese supergiant will be splitting time between the Boston Celtics and the Maine Red Claws on a two-way contract in 2019-20.

Sometimes a movement simply cannot be stifled. The NBA is a business, and the Boston Celtics are one of the most lucrative micro-businesses within the NBA’s financial ecosystem. The perfect storm of awe-inspiring size, the team’s need at center, and some good old-fashioned marketing buzz created an entity that was too strong for the universe to deny.

Tacko Fall will be a Celtic in 2019-20. These words hold weight as a truth.

That offers clarity to how the rest of the roster will be assembled. Before Fall was brought on in a capacity beyond a training camp Exhibit 10 deal, Max Strus was the second man in the two-way contract slot. Tremont Waters was a no-brainer for his spot given the Boston Celtics used a second round draft pick this past year to nab the LSU product. Strus didn’t seem to have a direct link to playing time, but that didn’t stop Danny Ainge from handing him a partially-guaranteed two-way deal.

This move does not guarantee Strus a roster spot on this year’s Boston Celtics. The signing ensures, however, Strus’ rights stay with Boston if they decide to cut him in favor of Javonte Green or someone cut by a different team. He could be retained by the Red Claws with this transaction.

In short, it was cap-room gymnastics on Ainge’s part to guarantee at least 45 days of Fall.

With the UCF product now officially on board, Boston appears to have added another player who possesses the common trait among the team’s center rotation–question marks. While Fall may have seemed like an easy choice for the Celtics to extend a two-way contract, he too possesses an unfinished game. Immediate contributions shouldn’t be expected despite the immediate contention being required from the Boston Celtics faithful.

There shouldn’t be too many other projects on this roster. Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards are players who may be tasked with offensive responsibilities early on despite their rookie status. Romeo Langford may be eased in given his early injury woes in training camp but as a lottery pick, he will be called upon this season in certain situations.

Fall is an experimental entity. He won’t be treated like other rookie big men, or other big men in general. History tells us his body can’t handle the physical toll of big minutes in a full season. At this point his rebounding may be considered subpar–relative to his height. His offensive arsenal is shallow beyond put-back dunks to this point, and his lack of foot-speed (likely related to his towering stature) makes him an inferior defensive option–his highlight blocks courtesy of owning at least half a foot of height on his opponents be damned–to any of the other big men (Enes Kanter aside) in the Boston Celtics rotation.

Fall needs to show why an investment in him is worth it beyond what he brings off the court. Defensively, he is not up to par, and that’s what Boston needs. If he can improve on the fundamentals in Maine, perhaps he could be the main man in the middle for the Boston Celtics.