the celts they knew what they had in Daniel Theis.
As lukewarm as that compliment may be toward the veteran big man, and as uneven as his return to Boston progressed through his NBA Finals Bench: Theis built such a relationship with the Celtics’ core members over nearly five seasons that his presence provided some comfort behind Al Horford and Robert Williams III. It wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up back with the team one more time before he finishes his career.
However, Theis’s $8.7 million salary became a necessary component of the Malcolm Brogdon trade, leaving the Celtics without a backup center who has logged significant NBA service time in the green. It’s a potentially glaring hole in a roster now packed with stalwarts and it would be disappointing to see it cost a team with legitimate championship aspirations.
There are several options to fill it, but Boston has moved slowly to fill its last three spots on the list as they look for that reliability and comfort, some of which they already see on the list. The expiration of the $17.1 million trade exception has already closed one avenue to address it.
Horford and Williams III staggered minutes at 5 last season and spelled the minutes for each other. A desire to reduce Horford’s workload and Williams III’s perennial injury concerns made Theis’ presence all the more important. The burden Horford took on when Williams III tore his meniscus and the long postseason run that followed created an even greater burden on Horford’s bye this season. The way he is, it might be hard to downplay him if Williams III gets hurt. With Danilo Gallinari and Grant Williams focusing on providing security for Horford at 4, only Luke Kornet projects to make occasional appearances exclusively at center.
Brad Stevens and Ime Udoka affirmed the Celtics’ intention to bring another great man into the fold during Summer League. It is not clear if Mfiondu Kabengele counts after signed a two-way contract last week.
Stevens and Udoka praised Kornet’s skills, while anticipating smaller lineups and the potential for a bigger winger in Gallinari to spend some time inside as well. Grant played center as a rookie and consistently guards the big boys, so there’s potential for the Celtics to cover the loss of Theis creatively. It seems increasingly likely that’s the route they’ll take in free agency, but there are still options on the market.
“We will continue to look at what he brings to our team,” Stevens said. CelticsBlog earlier this month. “I think ultimately, even though we started off big for most of last year with Al and Rob, we often played one of them. I think, as I said before, we are better prepared to play “smaller” than we were just because of the size of (Brogdon and Gallinari) sitting next to us. I have many different options there. We’re very excited about Luke, we’ve been very excited about Luke, we think he had a great season in the G-League and we think he can step in and be a passer and a ball handler and a mover and a blocker. and a roller when needed… we really believe in Luke, not only as depth, obviously to complete the list, but also to be ready to help us and help us win. I think he’s at that stage where he can do that. We are still looking, and will still add at least one more body in what we call position five today.”
Dwight Howard, Demarcus Cousins, Montrezl Harrell, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Tristan Thompson lead the rest of the centers available to sign. It’s an uninspiring and largely declining age group that didn’t significantly help their teams a year ago.
Their availability also underscores the declining demand for deep centers. Some teams have moved to small ball later in games and used an increasingly versatile pool of talent in the league to play multiple positions. Think of the Cavaliers, who start with three center-size players and still found a cheap backup in Robin Lopez, or the Warriors’ use of Draymond Green and Kevon Looney.
However, timing made Boston especially scarce, as they traded Theis after the wave of free-agent signings like Lopez or Andre Drummond. The traditional backup 5 like Theis, who himself could play all four more skillfully than the players listed above, brought a limited set of skills that become less tangible as the playoffs go on. Drummond was eliminated from Round 1 of the last postseason.
What the Celtics need, barring an emergency, is an inning eater. Someone who, along with an increasingly interchangeable rotation, can maintain Boston’s defensive stature and provide a solid 10-15 minutes in the middle portions of regular-season games.
That will require more minutes and stability from Williams III and generally consistent availability from Horford. That’s a gamble, but one dwarfed by Boston’s ability to play two or even three shooting guards alongside Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, as long as a center is available. If Williams III can log more than 35 minutes, part of Udoka’s emphasis on internal growth, along with guards and forwards as Horford sits, leaves little difference inside.
Kornet won’t inspire significant confidence compared to Williams III, Horford or even the average starting big man. However, he just needs to be compared to Theis, who wasn’t at his best, averaging 7.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game on 59.8% shooting (10/28 3PT) last season in Boston. Kornet posted 4.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 1.4 BPG on 47.3% shooting in his 2021 Celtics stint, while averaging 14 minutes in his spot appearances. He made big strides in ten appearances at Maine this year, shooting 50.6% from the field, 31.4% from three with 11.9 PPG, 7.6 PPG, 3.9 APG and 2.6 BPG. That production should translate into respectable backup production if Boston loses a center any time soon.
“We’ve talked about adding another big one,” Udoka said at Summer League. “With nights where Al, being a little older, could take a night off or Rob, having another possible starter. Obviously we have Luke Kornet, who has also grown throughout the season, some of the young guys that you’ve seen.
Kornet and even Kabengele could step into the backup role occasionally and not play in the postseason at all. Theis regularly received DNP-CD. Given the Celtics’ unconventional starting lineup, which Udoka hinted will likely remain the same, Kornet’s role could become expendable, especially where Boston has built one of the most interchangeable rosters in the league. He is part, as Stevens pointed out, of the evolution of the league beyond the standings.
Size matters if the label center though he doesn’t. While Grant can switch to centers and Gallinari can play a bit of inside defense at 6’10”, neither provides extensive experience being the larger man on the floor, guarding the inside, bouncing at high speed or keeping big opponents off the glass. The attributes you still look for from the centers.
Basketball Reference he credited Gallinari for playing 36% of his 2021 minutes at center, then 24% in 2022 after effectively never playing center before. Grant played 6% of the time inside him as a rookie, 7% in 2021, then 3% this year, moving to almost exclusive 4 minutes with Udoka. Gallinari’s interior role matched Atlanta’s porous defenses, and he’s only averaged 4.4 RPG and 0.2 BPG over the past two years while allowing 48.8% shooting to opponents in 2022. Williams has been scaled back to play a more perimeter role in 2021-22 and proved better as a drifter than an inside thug.
“My position will be backup 4, but whatever it takes, I’ll do it.” Gallinari said in CLNS Media A-List Podcast. “I can play in different positions, I have never played as a 5, but if it is something that has to be played, I play it. No problem. Whatever needs to be done.”
Versatile rim protection also played a role in the system that made Boston the best defense in the league. Horford thrived on a dropout scheme, while Williams III moving away from weaker perimeter threats and moving away from big man assignments proved almost revolutionary. Udoka’s instincts will lean toward playing with size, and while Kornet mimics some of those attributes defensively, he’ll need to make pick-and-pop shots and break glass to impact offense.
If there’s an emergency where the Celtics lose several bigs, they may need to take a flyer with a free agent or use their $5.9 million or $6.9 million trade exceptions, which expire around the trade deadline. Khem Birch, Jaxson Hayes, PJ Washington, JaVale McGee, Goga Bitadze and Boban Marjanovic head up a few names that fit the smaller TPEs and could possibly become available later if the circumstances are right.
That’s likely the Celtics’ gamble: Don’t force a roster addition that isn’t needed now, rely on roster depth and versatility to uncover those minutes and buy later at a lower cost. They can add up to six more players until the end of training camp. Kornet’s new contract is guaranteed for $300,000 on August 15, with further guarantees starting on opening night.