Boston Celtics: 3 backup center options for C’s to pursue

Boston Celtics backup center option No. 3) Robin Lopez

Robin Lopez is having quite a nice season for himself.

The 33-year-old finds himself averaging 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds a night as largely a backup big man in Orlando, and, with his production, has earned playing time on a reputable team. In Orlando, the emergence of Mo Bamba has buried him on the bench, recording multiple DNP – Coach’s Decisions over the past few weeks.

Lopez fits the mold of Enes Freedom, except he’s performed considerably better on both ends of the court.

He’s hit 68% of his shots at the rim this year compared to Freedom’s 56%. Additionally, while he’s not as mobile as he once was on defense, he still holds up relatively well in the post.

On an expiring contract, Lopez would be the easiest to acquire out of all three candidates mentioned here today, as the Magic would accept practically any draft capital in exchange for the veteran. He would provide a stable, dependable presence down low in limited minutes, with coach Udoka not having to worry about him.

Unfortunately, he wouldn’t space the floor at all, operating strictly as a post-up center but, frankly, his addition could still very well prove to be worth it as he cleans up around the rim relatively well, grabbing over four offensive rebounds per 36 minutes.

Lopez certainly isn’t the flashiest name to bring to Boston, but he would improve the C’s frontcourt depth considerably.