The Boston Celtics don’t have an open roster spot after signing guard-forward Javonte Green to a partially guaranteed two-year deal but that doesn’t mean that the 15th player on the roster has been set in stone.
According to the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, the Celtics are considering letting players on two-way contracts and partially guaranteed deal fight for the team’s final roster spot, meaning that there’s a puncher’s chance a player like rookie center Tacko Fall could make the roster instead. Fall, 7-foot-6 and 310 pounds, is one of the most intriguing prospects of the 2019 draft class because of his size allows him to be a walking mismatch but he’s raw and will need time to learn the nuances of playing his position at a high-level.
Per Yahoo Sports’ Ben Rohrbach, an anonymous Celtics staffer was asked if Fall is ready to be in the NBA.
The staffer would tell Rohrbach that Fall is “worth an investment for sure. If he improves this season anywhere close to his improvement the last few months then I think it’s hard to argue against him.”
The fanfare surrounding the big man led to the expectation of him being a part of Boston’s roster but the amount of attention drawn by Fall wasn’t undeserved.
As one might expect, Fall often made protecting the rim, and finishing around it, look like child’s play. Many-a-time, a Celtics possession that looked less promising by the second was saved by a teammate finding a way to get the ball to Tacko near the rim. Furthermore, though Fall’s been known as a poor free-throw shooter, he started to show improvement from the charity stripe as the Summer League went along.
Fall is 23-years-old; the trajectory of his development is questionable at this point but he’s, at worst, a player who could make his impact felt when the team needs some additional size for a rebound or to protect the paint. Conversely, his age might be a negative in terms of his upside but it’s a positive in terms of his maturity and mental makeup.
While there are players that can be signed as depth in case of injury, Fall is a player who can unquestionably be utilized by a team in a valuable role early in his career. Whether that team is the Celtics remains to be seen but it’s clear that he has plenty of fans both inside and outside of the organization.
