Boston Celtics: 2 big-names to target during the 2020 offseason

Big-name Boston Celtics target No. 1) Hassan Whiteside

We’ve brought up the idea of the Boston Celtics pursuing the likes of Hassan Whiteside in the past and, to our relative surprise, it was met with a fair amount of disdain. Yes, we are quite aware of some of the center’s past tribulations in the league but, at the end of the day, one cannot deny the talent in which he possesses.

In 2019-20 the Portland Trailblazers took a chance on him and, in the end, got some quality production from the veteran big while they awaited the return of their typical starting center, Jusuf Nurkić.

In his “filler” role, Whiteside managed to put forth impressive averages of 15.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, and his second-highest per game block total of 2.9 a night on 62 percent shooting from the floor.

Concerns of his hazardous impact on a team’s culture are an oft touched upon subject by NBA fans and spectators, but his Trailblazers teammates such as Damian Lillard seemed to have nothing but glowing reviews for Whiteside.

"“He’s been good. And that’s the thing — he’s a really good dude, a good teammate, he don’t cause trouble,” Lillard said."

With the team’s need for a stronger interior presence, Danny Ainge could do a lot worse than looking to the defensive/ board gobbling presence in Whiteside to help sure up their weakest area in the otherwise immensely strong rotation.