Boston Celtics: 5 centers the Cs must pursue in 2021

Mitchell Robinson

Mitchell Robinson is an intriguing prospect because of two things:

1. He has the raw athleticism to be the perfect rim-running disruptor on a young Boston Celtics team that can get out and run in transition and…
2. The New York Knicks have yet to adequately unleash the big man to be the force he should be at this stage in his development.

Tom Thibodeau has deployed the 2018 second-rounder as the team’s definitive starter, but Elfrid Payton is the primary playmaker in the offense. While he is perfectly acceptable as a team’s primary backup–or even a start-in-case-of-emergency utilityman–his assist numbers have cratered in 2020-21 and Robinson’s efficiency at the rim is a career-low.

Robinson deserves to be served easy buckets on a platter night in and night out by his teammates, and that would happen as the starting 5 of the Boston Celtics lineup.

Andre Drummond

Just yesterday, I pondered the idea of Drummond in green and white:

"Drummond’s salary is all but an exact fit, making the details of any prospective trade pretty simple to formulate on the Boston Celtics side. The question becomes how many draft picks (second-rounders, of course) are worth adding the burly big man. I’ve questioned the fit of Drummond in green and white before, but this time around it makes a lot of sense; he is an expiring deal putting up some of the best numbers of his career (18 points, 15 rebounds) and while his post-ups are frustrating for any Cavs fan and former Pistons fan watching him work, he can thrive in the “Tyson Chandler” role Kobe Bryant allegedly asked Dwight Howard to play in LA as a rebounder and finisher at the rim."

My thoughts remain unchanged since getting a night’s sleep.

Larry Nance Jr.

With the recent acquisition of Jarrett Allen, every center in the Cavaliers lineup is theoretically up for grabs. Now that Nance is a 44% 3-point shooter on almost four attempts per game, acquiring him instead of Drummond is almost the obvious choice considering his significantly lesser cap hit.