Boston Celtics: The perfect 3-step plan to getting Cs season back on track

The Boston Celtics nab the Orlando Magic’s All-Star center Nikola Vucevic

Nikola Vucevic is having a career season in Orlando. In my opinion, his talent is going to be wasted there if he does not get out. He could be a championship-caliber center if he was in the right situation. He shoots 40% from beyond-the-arc on over six attempts per game. He is a 45% midrange shooter and finishes at a modest 70%.

Vucevic is an overall efficiency machine, he can get you a bucket from any spot on the court, even going old school back to the basket. He averages over 1 point per possession in post-ups on a 25% frequency. Vucevic is now a 2x All-Star after being selected again this year, and he is still improving even at 30 years old.

Vuc is a solid pick-and-roll player, scoring nearly 1.2 points per possession on a 59% effective field goal percentage. He’s a very complete offensive arsenal and can be used in a multitude of ways.

Defensively, he hasn’t been, and will never be, an All-Defensive level player. But, that is not to say he hasn’t been a serviceable defender. He has good intelligence and a feel for the game defensively. While Vucevic can’t stay with smaller guys on the perimeter due to lack of lateral speed. He can guard the pick-and-roll, as well as block some shots and play good rotational defense in drop coverage. Finally, the now-multi-time All-Star holds opponents to 4% worse than their average in the paint, he has a large frame, being 7-foot, 260 pounds.

Surprisingly, the 2x All-Star has been a sort of kryptonite for MVP-candidate, All-NBA center Joel Embiid. Embiid has always given the Cs problem, but over the last 4 years, Vucevic holds him to 34-74 from the field, just 46%, 3% worse than Embiid’s average in that span.

Is that to say Vuc can stop Embiid come playoff time? Probably not, but it will definitely be better than having 6’8 Daniel Theis on him.

Let’s break down how the Cs, using the Gordon Hayward trade exception, can Bring All-Star Nikola Vucevic to Boston:

In addition to Center Nikola Vucevic, the Cs receive forward Terrance Ross to come off of the bench and spark the second unit for them. This year Ross has been amazing, averaging the most points (15.6) and the most assists (2.2) of his career. He is doing this on a slightly below average true shooting percentage (53.5), however he is still a great player on both sides of the ball and can score in bunches.

Just the other night, in a game versus New York, Ross had 30 points on 10-16 shooting, including 5-6 from beyond-the-arc. The Cs bench is one of the worst in the entire NBA, and Ross can be the perfect jolt the Boston bench so drastically needs.

In terms of what the Magic are getting in return for their All-Star big man, it is centered around Daniel Theis and picks. Theis has been a beast this season, and his career as a whole has been underrated. Personally, I rank him around the 15-20th best center in the league.

Theis can space the floor, shooting 56% from the floor and 38% from three, even with a recent cold-streak. The 4th-year big, isn’t all that big in reality, listed at a generous 6-foot-8. However, he plays much bigger than he looks, and averages well over a block a game. Theis has excellent recovery skills and can block shots you would have never thought he would make it to. What is so impressive about Theis, outside of his efficiency, is that he is so versatile on both ends.

On offense, he can score from all three levels, as well as give you the patented “Theis seal”. The German center is 14th in screen assists per game, even more impressively has the least amount of minutes of anyone in the top 15 for the same statistic.

Defensively, Theis can block shots, he can guard the pick-and-roll, and most importantly he can stick with guys on the perimeter. Theis is a very rare 3-level specialist on both ends of the court, and any team would be lucky to have him.

Orlando will also receive forwards, Grant Williams, and Aaron Nesmith. Williams has been a bit of a disappointment for the Cs this year, and many fans hoped it would be his breakout year. The 2nd year pro is still an improved shooter, and has an intelligence and feel for the game you can’t teach.

Nesmith, the rookie out of Vanderbilt, hasn’t lived up to the expected talent level of a lottery pick so far, but the guy has only played 16 games. Over his last seven games, it appears he may finally be finding his groove. Posting averages of 7.5 points per game on 52% from the field and 44% from downtown. That is much closer to the player the Cs thought they were drafting. The same player that shot over 50% from three, on over 8 attempts per game at Vanderbilt.

Nesmith also has the intangibles, when his shot isn’t falling, you will still see him flying across the court, blocking shots, recovering loose balls, swiping offensive rebounds. He has the makings to be an exceptional 3&D player, and maybe with more time and experience, he can become that sooner than thought.

The Magic would also be receiving the Cs 2022, and 2024 first-round picks, and the Cs 2021 2nd round pick, and another 2021 2nd round pick (via OKC).

In conclusion, the Cs should at least consider making these moves, and I believe this would launch us right back into contention, as one of the best teams in the NBA. It would leave the depth chart looking like this:

G: Lonzo Ball, Marcus Smart, Payton Pritchard, JJ Reddick, Jeff Teague

F: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, John Collins, Terrance Ross

C: Nikola Vucevic, Robert Williams, Tristan Thompson

Now if THAT isn’t a contender…what is?