With three open free agent spots open, the Boston Celtics could be looking to their Summer League squad to fill out the roster with some low-salary, high-value options. 2019 first-round pick Mfiondu Kabengele is providing tremendous value for the Summer League Cs and could be making the case to occupy one of the open roster spots.
Kabengele went off for 15 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a made 3-pointer on 5/8 shooting from the field in Boston’s first triumph against the Milwaukee Bucks Monday night during the NBA 2K23 2022 Las Vegas Summer League. That followed a 14-point, six-board, three-assist outing during the team’s 88-78 SL-opening loss to the Miami Heat.
Kabengele has shown emphatic finishing ability at the rim during his short Summer League Celtics career, both off second-chance efforts and off JD Davison lobs. That latter method could make Kabengele a natural fit next to the 2022 NBA Draft’s No. 53 pick Davison in training camp and in Maine. Davison signed to one of Boston’s two-way contracts and the other one is still open, though Brodric Thomas has an unsigned qualifying offer and could be returned via that slot.
Spotrac and CelticsBlog’s Keith Smith believes that bringing Kabengele aboard is an easy decision for Boston to make but also believes that the Cs shouldn’t stop their search for a center once the former No. 27 overall pick is signed:
I'm good if Mfiondu Kabengele gets a camp invite. I don't think he's the answer as the backup 5 though. Boston should still add a vet center if they can.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 12, 2022
The Boston Celtics don’t have many backup center options on the free market
At this point in free agency, the majority of the major names have flown off the board when it comes to most position groups. At the center position, the pickings are especially slim for the Boston Celtics.
An Aron Baynes return was reportedly considered but was passed on by Boston, per Adam Himmelsbach. Tristan Thompson represents another potential return, but the verdict should be the same from Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens.
As for potential first-time Cs, two of the more exciting names still available are DeMarcus Cousins and Dwight Howard. Cousins most recently played on the Denver Nuggets and averaged nine points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game during his 31-game stint in the ‘Mile High City’. Before that during the first half of the 2021-22 season, he had a near identical stat-line contributing on the Milwaukee Bucks during the NBA’s league-wide battle with the COVID-19 Omicron variant this past December. There’s clearly still plenty left in Cousins’ tank, but his usage rate could negatively coincide with all of the ball-handlers (Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum) in the Cs lineup. Howard is a smoother fit in the lineup and someone that is easy to plug in on nights Robert Williams III is nursing any lingering injuries. Bleacher Report linked Howard to Boston last week.