The signing of Jabari Parker may have some negative impacts on 2 Boston Celtics players
Though the majority of the 2020-21 season has been quite a disappointment for the Boston Celtics, as of late it appears as though the team’s fortunes are beginning to turn.
After finishing off their pre-All-Star break schedule with a record of 19-17, the shamrocks now find themselves at 31-26 on the year and are in the midst of an impressive six-game winning streak.
Now, with just 15 games remaining in the regular season, Boston is in a prime position to add to their win totals and, in turn, rise in the standings for a better matchup come round one of the playoffs.
Recently, the franchise made a rather small, but perhaps a highly effective move by signing former No. 2 overall pick, Jabari Parker, to add to their lackluster second unit scoring punch with the hopes of strengthening one of their weakest areas within the rotation.
A career 14.8 point-per-game scorer on nearly 50 percent shooting from deep, a guy like Parker has the potential to be a solid addition to this recently surging Cs squad.
Right from the get-go, the 25-year-old proved he can be a serviceable commodity for this playoff-bound team, as he showcased an excellent under-the-basket offensive game, battled for rebounds, and provided high-level energy on his way to 11 points and four boards on a whopping 83 percent shooting from the floor in his debut with the Celtics.
Now, while some may view Parker as a low-risk, high-reward signing for Beantown, we here at the Houdini believe the move could actually have some negative effects associated with it, specifically in regard to the impact that it may have on 2 of his teammates.
Boston Celtics player No. 1) Evan Fournier
Though some may still look back on the March 25th trade deadline and view it as a disappointment for the Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge and co. did actually manage to bring on a player in Evan Fournier who, at least on paper, possessed the type of attributes the team desperately needed — bench scoring.
Though his tenure with the franchise got off to a rocky start, going 0-10 for zero points in his debut, his following games were a lot more impressive and, combined, the wing now finds himself boasting averages of 11.5 points on 42 percent shooting from the field and 48 percent shooting from deep with the ball club.
Since arriving in Boston, the front office has been vocal about their expectations for Fournier, as well as their apparent desire to keep him in tow long-term should he produce according to plan.
However, with the fact that he has now been out for seven-straight games and counting due to health-and-safety protocols and has only played in a total of four games with the franchise, we have yet to see that in-game impact on a consistent basis that would warrant consideration to re-sign the sharpshooter this offseason.
With adding the offensive-minded Jabari Parker to the mix, it appears Fournier will be running into fewer touches and scoring opportunities to show his worth on that side of the ball — the main reason he was brought in in the first place — upon his arrival.
Now that the power forward’s a part of the team, of course we all want him to succeed in green and white.
That said, should he prove to be a great grab for the franchise, it might wind up swaying the Cs away from re-signing the 28-year-old this offseason, as he’ll likely command a sizeable contract (overall on the year is averaging nearly 20 points per game on 40 percent shooting from deep) while Parker’s second season will only cost the team $2.2 million.
If he can manage to continue to produce at the efficiency he did in game one throughout the rest of the year, it could lead to the Celtics losing interest in re-upping with Fournier this summer.
Boston Celtics player No. 2) Grant Williams
All across the board, sophomore power forward, Grant Williams, has found himself producing at a much more efficient level when in comparison to his 2019-20 campaign.
While his per-game stats of 4.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and one assist per game are not destined to blow anyone away at first glance, it has been his willingness to do the little things and his improvements in long-range shooting (37 percent 3-point shooter) that has once again captivated the hearts of Boston Celtics fans, as well as garnered the trust of his coaching staff.
Simply relishing his uptick in minutes on the hardwood, the 22-year-old has benefited greatly from receiving more playing time and has even been seen utilized in crunch-time lineups on occasion.
However, even with his improvements from year one to year two, out of all the players found on the team’s roster, Williams will likely be the most impacted by the Jabari Parker signing.
Playing the same position, Williams’ time on the court will almost certainly be seeing a reduction as we move along through the season, for Brad Stevens will obviously need to rearrange his player’s minutes in order to get their new four some in-game action.
One could actually argue that we’ve already witnessed Williams being bumped for Parker in the team’s scheme, for during his debut outing this past Saturday we saw him being thrown into the lineup in some pivotal situations down the stretch due to his superior scoring ability.
As he gets more familiar with Boston’s style of play, he’ll begin to see a boost in his overall minutes. Unfortunately, in order to make this work, others will have to sacrifice their time on the floor and one of those players will almost certainly be Grant Williams.