Celtics proven right for controversial move at the most crucial time

Nikola Vucevic’s first two months as a Boston Celtic could’ve gone better, right? He joined the team at the February trade deadline and immediately began the long process of gelling with Boston’s already existing core.

That process wasn’t a smooth one. Vucevic struggled to find his place on offense, play impactful defense, and truly justify the front office’s decision to trade for him.

Once he broke his finger on March 6, the questions to whether or not adding the veteran big man at the cost of Anferenee Simons, who had been largely good for the Celtics during his half season on the team, grew louder.

Through just four playoff games, Vucevic has managed to mute those doubters. He’s shown exactly why the front office nailed the decision to trade for him.

In short, he’s given them an extra frontcourt body during a time where they’ve certainly needed the depth. 

Both Neemias Queta and Luka Garza have racked up plenty of fouls thus far. Without Vucevic, the Celtics would be hamstrung with both men in foul trouble. They’d likely have to turn to rookie center Amari Williams, or settle for a small-ball lineup featuring Jayson Tatum at center.

Vucevic's ability has reached beyond just availability, too

Instead, Vuc has given them strong minutes off the bench.

When Queta headed to the bench with two early fouls in Game 4, the multi-time All-Star checked in and gave the Cs some stability. He scored on back-to-back possessions to help Boston keep pace with the early onslaught from Joel Embiid.

As the first quarter rolled on, Vuc got in his playmaking bag, too. He found Jordan Walsh from the short roll for a momentum three to push the Celtics’ lead to 15 in the closing minute, then later found Derrick White in a similar spot.

Vucevic’s quick decision-making is super valuable when Boston uses him as a screener. Philadelphia has shown a willingness to blitz either Tatum or Jaylen Brown coming off of a screen, so when he can read the four-on-three situations correctly it goes a long way, even if it’s not super often.

Plus, his expansive experience provides a much-needed sense of calmness during the intensity of the postseason.

The best example of this came in the closing minutes of Boston’s tight Game 3 win. Vucevic caught a pass from Tatum at the top of the key, allowed Paul George and Andre Drummond scramble to close out on him, then sent both defenders the wrong way with a pass fake, before driving and kicking the ball back to Tatum for an open three.

There was no panic. There was no urgency to fire up a three off the initial catch. Instead, Vucevic did what he could to ensure that Boston got the cleanest look possible.

The fact that Joe Mazzulla trusted him to close the tightest game of the series highlights how valuable Vucevic really is for this team.

His defense -- an area of weakness throughout his regular-season stint with the Cs -- hasn’t been that bad either. Has he gotten beat by Tyrese Maxey’s lightning speed a few times? Yes. But, there have been some glimmers of hope, too.

Vuc’s three-block performance in Game 3 was a highlight. In Game 4, he was able to avoid fouling Embiid, despite the former MVP’s affection for drawing fouls.

Though Simons’ microwavability off the bench could’ve proven useful in the Celtics’ Game 2 loss, Vucevic’s presence helped them in Games 1, 3, and 4.

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