Boston Celtics: 3 young free agents Cs could take a chance on
By Jack Simone
Boston Celtics free-agent target #1: Wenyen Gabriel
A name unknown to most Celtics fans, but an option that could provide better “end-of-the-bench” minutes than most current rotation players. Gabriel is a 6’9” forward who could step in and take Semi Ojeleye’s minutes, but with a bit more upside.
Through his first two seasons in the NBA, he played with three different organizations. He began his career in Sacramento but got traded to Portland halfway through his rookie year.
The 24-year-old played 21 games for the Pelicans last season, averaging 11.5 MPG. He received little playing time with any team he played with but shot efficiently when he was on the floor.
Gabriel took 2.9 FG per game, with 1.5 of those attempts being three-pointers. He shot 40.6% from deep on those shots, totaling 13-32 from that range on the season. Despite this offensive showing, most of his notable success came in the 2019-20 playoffs with the Trailblazers.
He ended up playing four games in their first-round series vs the Lakers, shooting 9-15 from the field and 2-5 from deep. While the sample size on offense is small, his defense is why the Celtics should look into signing him.
The Blazers put him on Anthony Davis for the majority of his time on the floor. In 7:06 minutes of matchup time, he held Davis to 3-14 shooting and 0-4 on three-pointers. His 7’1” wingspan gives him great potential as a defender.
Ojeleye spent the majority of his time in Boston struggling to remain consistent from the 3-point range. With Gabriel’s capability to stretch the floor, combined with his proven defensive abilities, Stevens could look to take a chance on him as a guy at the end of the rotation.