Scouting the Boston Celtics’ roster from the starters to the two ways
One of the few disadvantages of being a team expected to contend for an NBA title is most of your opponents have put in a lot of work scouting your ball club from the top to the bottom of the roster should they find themselves needing to send your team packing in a best of seven series. Even the teams who aren’t likely to make the postseason know your squad well given a win over your team would be the high point of their season.
Such is the case with the Boston Celtics, and to help us understand how other franchises see the players on the Celtics’ roster this season, the folks over at our sister site of Hoops Hype have put together a scouting guide of not only every play on Boston’s roster but in the league as a whole.
Let’s dive into the Celtics players’ scouting reports to see how the team looks from the outside.
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Malcolm Brogdon
Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports
Position: G
Born: 12/11/92
Height: 6-5 / 1.96
Weight: 223 lbs. / 101.2 kg.
Salary: $22,600,000
“A model playmaker… Rarely makes mistakes… Good court vision… Can create shots for himself and his teammates… Reliable shooter from the outside… Smart and active defender… Not an especially gifted athlete… Has trouble staying healthy… Lacks explosiveness… Skill set should allow him to stay in the league for a while.”
Jaylen Brown
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Position: F
Born: 10/24/96
Height: 6-6 / 1.98
Weight: 223 lbs. / 101.2 kg.
Salary: $28,741,071
“A two-way force… Came into the NBA as a defensive specialist on the wing who could guard various positions… And he’s still that, a great defender, but he’s also developed into an elite scorer… Above-average outside shooter… Scores off the ball, too, as a slasher… Can even do scoring out of the pick-and-roll… Athletic and long so he can finish in the paint well… Turnover prone… Doesn’t have the tightest ball-handle… Improved playmaker but still not quite a strength.”
JD Davison (two way)
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Position: G
Born: 10/03/02
Height: 6-3 / 1.91
Weight: 195 lbs. / 88.5 kg.
Salary: $508,891
“Playmaking guard who can really set up teammates and run an offense… Not much of an outside shooter… A bit passive in that he prefers to pass than look for his own shot… Uses quickness and athleticism to do damage on both ends… Can pick up steals and run a fast break… Must get stronger.”
Danilo Gallinari
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Position: F
Born: 08/08/88
Height: 6-10 / 2.08
Weight: 225 lbs. / 102.1 kg.
Salary: $6,479,000
“Bombs away from 3-point land like few other players at that size… Will open the floor for his team thanks to the gravity caused by his spacing… Plays with confidence… Staying healthy has been a challenge for him throughout his career… Not much of a defender, though improved on that end… Can hit shots over good defense thanks to high release point… Able to back down and score on smaller guys… Has a fadeaway he can go to at times.”
Blake Griffin
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Position: F
Born: 03/16/89
Height: 6-9 / 2.06
Weight: 252 lbs. / 114.3 kg.
Salary: $2,905,851
“Strong playmaker out of the power forward spot… Injury concerns will follow him through the end of his career… In his prime, hard to stop one-on-one scorer with a potent face-up and post-up game… Tight ball handle for a big man… Average defender at best due to size and length limitations, though effort on that end isn’t poor… Once an athletic freak, but no more… His lack of shooting has made him a fringe player now.”
Sam Hauser
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Position: F
Born: 12/08/97
Height: 6-8 / 2.03
Weight: 215 lbs. / 97.5 kg.
Salary: $1,637,966
“Role-playing type who can play some 3 or 4… Excellent shooting stroke… Struggles to create his own shot but can finish plays when he’s set up… Lack of quickness hurts him on both ends… Can score off the dribble, particularly against hard closeouts.”
Al Horford
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Position: C
Born: 06/03/86
Height: 6-9 / 2.06
Weight: 246 lbs. / 111.6 kg.
Salary: $26,500,000
“Despite what the raw averages may say, a very good defender thanks to positioning and instincts… Not a good rebounder for his position at this point, but he makes up for it with a well-rounded offensive game that includes outside shooting and a hook shot with either hand… Underrated playmaker out of the frontcourt… No flash, but a glue guy who makes teams better… Skill set has translated well as he has aged.”
Mfiondu Kabengele (two way)
Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Position: F
Born: 08/14/97
Height: 6-9 / 2.06
Weight: 250 lbs. / 113.4 kg.
Salary: $508,891
“Really strong and plays through opponents… Dunks with authority and decent shot blocker… Can shoot a bit from the perimeter but mostly operates as a screener and roller… Can pass a bit from the top… Decent face-up/post-up game… Better rebounder on offense than defense… Plays with tons of effort… Undersized but has long arms to make up for it.”
Luke Kornet
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Position: C
Born: 07/15/95
Height: 7-2 / 2.18
Weight: 240 lbs. / 108.9 kg.
Salary: $2,133,278
“Big man with some athleticism and length… Able to spot up from the 3-point line… Pick and pop option with his range… Really good timing as a shot blocker… Can get finessed around the rim by bigger players… A bit slow to stay in front of guards on switches… Developed a new technique for contesting 3-pointers where he jumps from inside the paint to try and cover the rim from the shooter.”
Mike Muscala
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Position: F-C
Born: 07/01/91
Height: 6-10 / 2.08
Weight: 230 lbs. / 104.3 kg.
Salary: $3,500,000
“Power forward who is pretty much just a spot-up three-point shooter on offense… Doesn’t hit threes at anything above an average rate either… Decent athlete… Sticks within his role… Offers very little defensively due to short arms and thin frame… Not much of a rebounder.”
Payton Pritchard
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Position: G
Born: 01/28/98
Height: 6-1 / 1.85
Weight: 206 lbs. / 93.4 kg.
Salary: $2,239,200
“Plays with sky-high confidence… Solid floor general in his ability to run an offense, but will also make flashy plays to set up teammates… Very quick burst, which helps him blow by defenders… Lightning quick release on jumper with dependable form… On the smaller side and not an elite athlete vertically… That’ll hurt him when attacking the paint.”
Marcus Smart
Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports
Position: G
Born: 03/06/94
Height: 6-3 / 1.91
Weight: 227 lbs. / 103 kg.
Salary: $17,207,142
“Super tough competitor… Built like an NFL player, he plays his heart out every night… Among the best perimeter defenders in the NBA… OK playmaker… Can play both guard spots… Has improved as an outside shooter, but overall not a great scorer… Questionable shot selection… Knows his role… Teammates love having him around.”
Jayson Tatum
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Position: F
Born: 03/03/98
Height: 6-10 / 2.08
Weight: 204 lbs. / 92.5 kg.
Salary: $30,351,780
“Versatile forward with plenty of ways to score… Nasty face-up game with an explosive first step and ability to glide through defenses… Very good athleticism… Pivoted away from taking mid-range jumpers to 3s… Great instincts on defense… Drawing more fouls and knocks down free throws at a high rate… Good size and lateral quickness defensively… Emerged as a legitimate superstar… May win an MVP before his career is over.”
Derrick White
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Position: G
Born: 07/02/94
Height: 6-4 / 1.93
Weight: 200 lbs. / 90.7 kg.
Salary: $16,892,857
“Well-rounded guard on offense… Can do so many little things well on the court… Can score, rebound and create for others at respectable levels… True floor general who can be fully trusted to run an offense… Highly reliable defender with nice blocking stats to back it up… Can run hot and cold as a shooter.”
Grant Williams
Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports
Position: F
Born: 11/30/98
Height: 6-6 / 1.98
Weight: 236 lbs. / 107 kg.
Salary: $4,306,281
“Extremely high basketball IQ… Makes a lot of winning plays… Uses wide body well on the glass and setting screens… Doesn’t have a true position… Though that’s not a huge issue in the modern NBA… Can play small-ball center, even though he’s 6-foot-8… Has even become a dependable 3-point shooter.”
Robert Williams III
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Position: F-C
Born: 10/17/97
Height: 6-8 / 2.03
Weight: 237 lbs. / 107.5 kg.
Salary: $10,937,502
“Has evolved from an athletic big who can block shots to a legitimate DPOY candidate for years to come… Insane wingspan makes him a serious above-the-rim finisher… Can get up for blocked shots quickly… Fouls too much but has improved drastically here… Rebounding has improved tremendously… Often injured… Goes all out for hustle players, sometimes gets him hurt physically.”
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