Boston Celtics: Blake Griffin deemed ‘more interesting theoretical fit than either Melo or Danilo Gallinari’
Blake Griffin’s last-minute free agent deal with the Boston Celtics, a one-year veteran’s minimum pact signed on September 30, was a bit of a surprise practically no one saw coming. It was one born purely out of necessity for a team that cannot catch a break right now.
Not only is Robert Williams III going under the knife for arthroscopic knee surgery on his left leg — forcing him to miss the next 8-12 weeks as the regular season kicks off — but Luke Kornet is also set to miss up to two weeks with a sprained ankle.
Boston Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla is now needing to form his own rotation after the one Ime Udoka left him included the best starting lineup in the entire NBA — one that was 12 points/100 possessions better than the second-best team, and the best defensive rating, while also ranking third in offensive rating per NBC Sports Boston’s Max Lederman.
Griffin will be a big part of that. The odds are high that the 6x All-Star, who started 24 games for the Brooklyn Nets last season, could become a de-facto spot starter until Kornet has back on his feet at a bare minimum. Until ‘The Timelord’ returns, Griffin should get minutes.
Good thing Griffin is a better fit than either the injured Danilo Gallinari or former free agent target Carmelo Anthony would have been — this at least according to Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey in his latest piece titled ‘Did the Boston Celtics Get It Right Signing Blake Griffin over Carmelo Anthony?’:
"“Griffin’s versatility is the key here. At 6’9″, he’s bigger than Anthony (6’7″) and played over 80 percent of his minutes as a center last season. That positional shift didn’t rob him of his point-forward skills, though.”“Over the last three campaigns, Griffin has recorded 4.2 assists per 75 possessions. The passing and playmaking he can bring makes him a more interesting theoretical fit than either Melo or Gallo.”"
The Boston Celtics will need a strong bench performance
That league-best starting lineup (by a large margin) being on hold for the first portion of the season will set the Cs back significantly early on, unless the second unit could provide enough firepower to keep Boston on top of the east.
It certainly won’t be easy with an improved Eastern Conference even with just Khris Middleton returning to the Milwaukee Bucks and Donovan Mitchell joining a young Cleveland Cavaliers core that could be on the come-up.
Payton Pritchard, Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, and Grant Williams is a strong shooting unit. The odds appear in their favor, but only if Joe Mazzulla can earn the roster’s respect like Ime Udoka did.