The Boston Celtics should feel confident in their frontcourt rotation this season. Neemias Queta, Mitchell Robinson, and Luka Garza should be good enough to hold their own in the regular season. The playoffs will be a different challenge, but Boston should be ready for the challenge. Even so, there is a certain appeal to someone like Domantas Sabonis.
The Celtics have expressed interest in Sabonis in the past (before they signed Robinson), so it's not like he hasn't intrigued them, but it doesn't sound like they've considered the option all that closely. Now it's come out that he might want out of Sacramento soon.
Sabonis is a talented player, but it's pretty easy to see what he doesn't do that makes him a poor fit for what Mazzulla Ball is about. He's not a three-point shooter (he actually exploded when Indiana made him play more in the post), and he's not a good defender. However, everyone should know that that's not all it takes to work in Mazzulla's system.
Mazzulla Ball is also about offensive rebounds and second-chance points, which is why it's a big deal that Boston got Robinson, as he's one of the best rebounders in NBA history, let alone currently. Evidently, the Celtics like players who do that.
Sabonis is also one of the NBA's best. Mazzulla Ball also emphasizes either the most points possible (like threes) or the shot most likely to go in (like the low post), and Sabonis is excellent at the latter. Few players can score in the post at will as he can.
He is also an excellent playmaker for someone his size, averaging as many as 8.2 assists a game merely two years ago. There's a reason why fans consider him like the Charmeleon to Nikola Jokic's Charizard. He's coming off a bit of a down-season thanks to injuries, but Mazzulla Ball is also about taking care of the ball along with good playmaking, something Sabonis does.
He's never been on a winning team, but let's be fair about this. Neither was Kristaps Porzingis, and we all saw how much of a game-changer he was.
If Sabonis was paid less, this would become more intriguing
Sabonis is being paid like a franchise player, and to be fair, he's given the Kings some of their most fun seasons over the past two decades. That says a lot more about Sacramento than it does about him, but it's clear that despite his talent, Sabonis' impact is quite limited.
He isn't the best player on a title team, but like Porzingis, he may thrive better as a complementary star. If he were paid just a tad less, like maybe around what Derrick White is being paid, he'd be a lot more tolerable to have.
Defensively, he's a flawed player, but so is someone like Garza, and Boston covered that up quite impressively last season. Playing next to Jayson Tatum, one of the NBA's most intimidating presences, could be what brings out the best in Sabonis.
There's a reason why Boston has only explored the possibility but hasn't seriously looked into it, but this option shouldn't be dismissed entirely.
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