Should the Boston Celtics upgrade their center position?

Every large media outlet seems to think the Boston Celtics need to upgrade their center position in order to assert themselves as a championship contender. Alternatively, they could stick with their current rotation of big men.

With their current roster, the Boston Celtics center rotation includes Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter, and Robert Williams. Theis has gotten the majority of the starts when healthy, with Kanter starting the first game of the season in Philadelphia.

Theis is averaging 7.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game, all career-bests. Those seven points are only on a 13.6% usage rate; he isn’t very involved in the end result of the offense. As a low-volume center, he has filled a need for the Boston Celtics–and has done as well as they could ask for.

Now, he has certainly struggled in some defensive match ups, with Joel Embiid of the 76ers being the most notable hurdle he has yet to prove he can clear. Theis just doesn’t have the size or strength to contest the 7-foot superstar. If the Celtics meet him in the playoffs with this current roster, it’ll be difficult to stifle his production with Theis being the starting center.

Enter Enes Kanter. He’s averaging 8 points with 7.5 rebounds (3 offensive) in only 17 minutes per game. His strength is rebounding. If the C’s are struggling on offense, he’ll come into the game to create instant second chance opportunities. On the other hand, his defensive weakness has always been publicized, going back to his days in Oklahoma City. But the one thing he can defend is traditional back-to-the-basket centers. Once Kanter’s man gets involved in the pick & roll, it’s an easy bucket for the opposing team.

Here’s why Kanter can succeed in defending Embiid: the Sixers run the pick & roll only 11.5% of the time, the second least in the league. So, for that particular match up, the Turkish big should get the majority of the minutes and limit Embiid’s production, at least to the point where he can’t take over the game.

The most promising of the Boston Celtics options, Robert Williams, is still sidelined with a bone edema in his hip. Like Theis, he does not possess the strength to guard the best centers in the league, but he has an unmatched athleticism that allows him to rack up blocks and finish highlight-reel alley oops.

I don’t think coach Brad Stevens trusts Williams in the playoffs yet, as he makes many mental errors a game…something Stevens does not take lightly. But, if he cuts down on those in the coming months, look for him to get more minutes and more opportunities.

As for big trade options for the Celtics, the three main names being thrown out there are Steven Adams, Myles Turner, and Andre Drummond. With the Pacers looking to contend, I’d be surprised if they made a Turner trade during the season, but anything can happen. Sure, these would all be upgrades for the Celtics, but at what cost?

The problem with these trade proposals is that due to salary cap rules, a trade for any of these players would have to include either Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, or Gordon Hayward. These are the Boston Celtics players that have large enough contracts to match the contracts they would be receiving in Adams, Turner, or Drummond.

You simply can’t trade away any of those pieces right now. You’re definitely not trading away Walker or Brown, and Hayward showed what he can be at the beginning of the year. Even in the Christmas game in Toronto, it was clear the offense was significantly better due to Hayward’s skilled passing and unselfishness.

Gordon Hayward doesn’t steal shots from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown; he makes them better. When Tatum and Brown are on the court, their net rating is at +13.3. Add Hayward onto the court, and the trio’s net rating jumps to a staggering +23.5. That’s more than a ten point increase. You’re not (or in my opinion, shouldn’t be) trading that away.

In a more likely scenario, the Boston Celtics will make a smaller trade for a Nerlens Noel-type player or explore the buyout market. So come trade deadline time, don’t expect the Boston Celtics to make any roster-altering moves.

The ends don’t justify the means.