Tremont Waters is the perfect third guard the Boston Celtics desperately need

The Boston Celtics just called up Tremont Waters from the G-League to serve as depth at the point guard position. Could he be the perfect fit for Beantown’s current roster?

The Boston Celtics just returned from their longest road trip of the season, a five game west coast swing that tested them against some of the Western Conference’s best teams in a grueling eight day stretch. Although they managed to post just a 2-3 record over the course of the trip, there were many positive takeaways to be had despite plenty of adversity thrown their way.

They lost those three games by a combined seven points, two of them at the hands of the class of the Western Conference in the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets. They managed all that without the services of Gordon Hayward. Kemba Walker was stretchered off the court in the first half of the Nuggets game in a scary sequence where he crashed head first into the rock hard abs of Semi Ojeleye. Fortunately his injuries weren’t serious, however he should miss a week or two as a precaution. In any case, they proved that they can play with the best teams in the NBA, and that they are a legitimate contender in the east.

However during those losses, their holes became quite apparent and were exploited. In the Clippers and Nuggets games, they really struggled at times to get good shots, especially down the stretch. Walker and his playmaking abilities were neutralized at times, particularly in crunch time against Los Angeles. He had Kawhi Leonard guarding him for most of the critical moments in the game, a matchup that really made Walker’s size disadvantage apparent. He couldn’t operate in the paint and around the rim like he normally does, and was clearly frustrated by the physicality of the Clippers.

The playmaking burden down the stretch fell mostly on Marcus Smart, who also had a difficult cover from the annoying and cowardly Patrick Beverly. I truly understand now why everyone in the West seems to despise him. As a result, the Boston Celtics were stuck settling for low-percentage free throw line floaters and Jayson Tatum isolation possessions, which, to his credit, he capitalized on tremendously. I would also be remiss if I did not congratulate Tatum on the birth of his second son, Paul George, whom he baptized with a devastating step-back crossover at the end of regulation.

For other parts of the game, much of the ball handling duties fell to Brad Wanamaker. Now don’t get me wrong, I think Wanamaker is a fantastic player to have on your team. He’s tough, reliable, and hits his free throws. I’m pretty sure he can rip a phone book in half with his bare hands. But his playmaking deficiencies were on full display, and it manifested itself with the Celtics settling for tons of jump shots while he was in the  game.

Had Hayward been in the lineup, it’s not a stretch to think that he could have taken some of the playmaking burden off Smart and Walker down the stretch. Hayward has proven he can get penetration into the paint and get teammates open. But there is still a month to go until Hayward is fully recovered from his hand injury, and it’s unclear when Kemba will be back.

For the next few weeks they are really going to need some help at guard. I’m not sure that Carsen Edwards is ready to take on a role beyond a microwave bench scorer. And Javonte Green is basically just a spark plug at this point.

However the solution might already be on their roster. The Boston Celtics recalled Tremont Waters this weekend, who has been amazing up in Portland for the Maine Red Claws. Although he’s just a rookie, his game really fits what the Celtics’ second unit is currently lacking. He’s a fantastic ball handler and an unselfish playmaker, averaging nearly eight assists per game in the G-League. He’s shifty enough to get by most development league players off the dribble with ease. Whether or not that will translate to NBA caliber competition will remain to be seen.

He can also score in bunches, averaging around 20 points per game and shooting 40% from three on nine attempts per game. He is confident shooting in transition and off the dribble, and is crafty enough in the lane to offset his lack of size. The big question with Waters is his size. He’s a high IQ player who knows how to get in passing lanes and play the angles, but whether or not he will be able to stack up with the more physical NBA level guards will be his biggest challenge.

That all being said, they aren’t going to be asking him to play 35 minutes a game. I think he’s more than capable of coming in and facilitating the second unit for 15-ish minutes a game. He’s much more of a playmaker than Edwards, who’s currently occupying those minutes, and will be a boon to the second unit scorers. One of the Boston Celtics’ biggest struggles on the road trip was how slow they started offensively. Waters will be able to come in and get the ball into the hands of their primary second unit scorers quickly, and hopefully help jump start their stagnant second unit.