Celtics suddenly faced with no-brainer decision when filling final roster spots

The Boston Celtics have 12 players on full-time contracts at the moment. Because they are penny-pinching as much as they possibly can, they are waiting until the last possible second to fill in their last two roster spots in their hopes of staying under the luxury tax before the season ends.

An NBA team cannot go more than 14 days without having at least 14 players on its roster. Boston already danced around this by handing out 10-day contracts to Dalano Banton and John Tonje, but it's been almost 14 days since those contracts expired, and luckily, it's become pretty obvious who should occupy one of those spots: Ron Harper Jr.

If any Celtics fan didn't know who Ron Harper Jr. was before last night, they should know now, as he's proven he's pretty much the whole package as a 3&D wing. Not only does he provide versatility, hustle, defense, and shooting, but he was throwing up shots over Victor Wembanyama's alien-like wingspan like it was just another Tuesday last night.

His efforts last night played a part in why the Celtics kept the Spurs on their heels until the very end. It gets even more impressive when you think about it. Harper did this in a marquee matchup against one of the NBA's best teams, with the Celtics down their best player for over half the game and their other best player still getting into game shape.

To add a cherry on top, he outplayed his brother, the most recent No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft.

Harper's been good for a while now

Harper had his best game of the season against the Spurs, but this was not some random occurrence. He's done this in another important games. When Joe Mazzulla has called his name, Harper has delivered. Not always, but for a guy on a two-way contract, Harper's badly outplayed his deal.

Hell, it appears the only reason why Boston hasn't promoted Harper is for formality reasons. Once the day officially arrives to get him signed, Harper should be on a full-time contract without question. This has been a special season for the Celtics because of how well they've done without Jayson Tatum, and part of that has been the standout performances from the most obscure players.

Harper has joined a long list of Celtics who unexpectedly proved their usefulness this season, including Neemias Queta, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Luka Garza, and even Josh Minott. In Harper's case, he's played well enough that messing around with this situation will come back to bite Boston.

In a league that's criticized the nepo babies over the years, not only has Harper risen above that label, but he's also proven the apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree, and, by extension, should be a Celtic for the long haul.