Boston Celtics: 3 likely landing spots for Enes Kanter
By Mark Nilon
Oklahoma City Thunder
One thing that makes all these landings spots so unique: they all have a personal connection to Enes Kanter.
The Utah Jazz drafted him back in 2011.
The Dallas Mavericks have his close friend from his days on the Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis.
And, from 2014-17 Kanter was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Since being traded from the franchise in the summer of 2017, the big man has expressed nothing but love and praise for, not just the city, but Oklahoma as a whole:
"“…I remember from day one they opened their arms, gave me a warm welcome. Not just the players, not just the organization…but the whole state of Oklahoma supported me.”"
Despite not being a resident of the area for over three years, he recently announced that he was looking into opening a charter school in Oklahoma City geared towards educating low-income and minority students. The entire state appeared to have made a grand, long-lasting impact on the big man during his short lived tenure.
If he were to opt out of his current contract and test the waters on the open market, perhaps it’s flow would lead him back to OKC, where he averaged 14.2 points and eight rebounds on 56 percent shooting from the field and a career best offensive box plus/ minus of 3.4.
With Danilo Gallinari possibly jumping ship this offseason, the team may be in the market for bolstering their front court rotation with another offensive minded talent. Plus, at 6-10 he could also fill in for the team’s current starter Steven Adams at center from time to time, while also being able to be plugged in beside him thanks to his particular set of skills.
The pick-and-roll game running alongside Chris Paul would give Kanter even easier opportunities to score, while his rebounding skills — specifically offensive — would certainly be a sight for sore-eyes in OKC — team currently ranks 22nd in total rebounds and 28th in offensive rebounds.
In regard to Enes Kanter’s best fit in the NBA, the veteran big should look no further than returning to the place he clearly loves, Oklahoma City.
dark. Next. 2 players C's could — and should — have drafted in 2016