All the buzz to start the summer is around the Celtics’ big men. Is Neemias Queta good enough? Is Luka Garza an NBA Backup? Do we need a stretch big? Do we need a switch big? Bring back Vooch? Is Giannis the answer? And so on, and so on. And those are certainly some valid questions to be asking after the team saw Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet leave town last summer.
While the Celtics didn’t reinvest in the center position last season, they did some surprisingly excellent play from a couple of minimum signings: Queta and Garza, but something was missing, and it showed up in the playoffs.
Some of the questions posed above should have a yes answer, but those two guys can do a lot, and the value they’ve returned playing on the minimum was astronomical. Queta is an elite defender and is definitely worthy of being the starter moving forward. Garza is a legit stretch big and deserves to be the backup.
What they really need is some versatility and a guy who can play alongside the other two, giving the Celtics something they didn’t have this season: the ability to play a viable double-big lineup. They tried it for a handful of games after the Anfernee Simons-Nikola Vucevic trade, but Joe Mazzulla quickly realized that wasn’t a recipe for success.
Celtics have historically had success playing double-bigs
But in past seasons, going double-big has been a huge part of the team’s success, notably with Robert Williams III and Al Horford, and then later with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. It’s not something that’s a total game-changer, and it’s not something they’d want to run with for an entire game, but it’s a great option to have, and one that was lacking this season.
Boston needs to find a big man who can guard on the perimeter and capably stay with some players on the perimeter so that he can stay on the floor with Queta or Garza. Ideally, he’d be a little smaller and more athletic and versatile, someone who can pass as a big wing player or power forward, but who can also provide big man skills; there are other ways to pull it off.
Things worked with Horford because he was often able to guard true centers, while Rob and KP would “guard” a non-shooter and roam around, protecting the rim. Things worked on offense because Al could be a spacer with Rob as a rim-runner, and when KP arrived, he became the elite floor spacer.
The Cs won’t find players of that magnitude (although, ironically, Al and/or KP may be available), but they can find guys with some of those traits and a similar skill set. That will open up a lot of doors for them on both ends, and with towering teams like the Wemby Spurs, the Hartenstein/Holmgren Thunder, and the KAT-Mitchell Robinson Knicks still playing, it’s going to be as important as ever to be able to put a lot of size on the floor going forward.
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