The Boston Celtics should retain Joe Johnson, cut Jabari Parker

Just under halfway through the 2021-22 season, the Boston Celtics find themselves in the same position last season ended: sitting at .500 with an NBA Play-in game being necessary to qualify for the postseason.

That stings. This past offseason was a big one for the franchise after promoting former head coach Brad Stevens into the President of Basketball Operations role and bringing in former pro Ime Udoka to provide the locker-room a new voice.

Well, it’s been the same old song and dance so far. Inconsistency has plagued the franchise, with the offense looking out of sync far too often with a team that features two top-25 talents and a strong supporting cast. The defense has also had a brutal five-game west coast stretch where they ceded over 119 points per game.

Oftentimes around these parts, we like to swing for the fences with a win-now move that immediately provides an impact player to change their current course. Today, though, the Houdini would like to discuss a miniscule move that could potentially pay dividends.

As we’ve seen, the COVID-19 Health and Safety protocols is an all-inclusive, wide-open club that most of the league cannot seem to avoid. That led to Joe Johnson–originally drafted in 2001 with the #1 pick by the Boston Celtics–being signed with a hardship exception to provide the necessary number of bodies to actually play games due to seven players being ruled out of last night’s game.

Johnson made his only shot, a garbage time isolation bucket. He was far from instrumental in the C’s 111-101 win.

That said, with Johnson, it’s less about the stats and more about the locker-room extras. Johnson, who made his name as the star of the Atlanta Hawks in the mid-2000s, was a former teammate of Al Horford, and someone Jaylen Brown viewed as a ‘childhood icon’. Johnson has commented on looking forward to a potential reunion with Horford when the big man is healthy again.

That opportunity isn’t guaranteed, but it should be.

The Boston Celtics should retain Joe Johnson and release Jabari Parker

Jabari Parker’s role on the team is less solidified than anyone else on a guaranteed deal. While he is shooting at an efficient clip, he simply hasn’t been able to earn consistent minutes.

Given that fact, he holds no more value than Johnson does at this point despite being 14 years younger. Neither player is going to usurp Grant Williams from his role as the primary backup power forward, but Johnson’s value is highest as a reserve as opposed to Parker who is still a work in progress after a career marked by devastating injuries.

You ask me, Johnson deserves that final seat on the Cs bench.