Jaylen Nowell would be an interesting target for the Boston Celtics
Minnesota Timberwolves free agent guard Jaylen Nowell is still available, over a month after the free agent period opened. At this point, he’d be a good value pickup for the Boston Celtics.
Maybe it’s just the memory of him notching a career-high 29 points against the Celtics in late 2021 (when Minnesota literally sat EVERYONE), handing Boston its worst loss of the season (until they blew a 24-point lead against the New York Knicks a week later). But, Nowell feels like a player that could add something for the Cs off of the bench.
Last season for the Timberwolves, he averaged 10.8 points per game, while shooting 44.5% from the field. The issue is that he struggled quite a bit from distance, only converting 28.9% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
At just 24 years old, there’s still plenty of time for Nowell to develop a better 3-point shot. The Celtics do a great job at helping their players become better shooters. For example, Derrick White shot just 34.4% from distance with the San Antonio Spurs. Last year in Boston, he knocked down 38.1% of his threes.
This late into the offseason, the players who remain unsigned almost always have flaws. The question is whether or not the Cs believe that Nowell has the upside to make him worth the roster spot.