Skip to main content

Expect to see Vincent Poirier start at center vs. Orlando on Friday

Despite the close win over Charlotte on Sunday, the Celtics center spot is far from solid. Rob Williams clearly is not ready to take over. And after a minute sample of one game, Enes Kanter's defense seemed as bad as rumored. Grant Williams came away with a team-high Defensive Rating for the game, good enough for 28th in the NBA thus far. But he is only 6'6" without shoes.

That leaves 7' Frenchman, Vincent Poirier, as the next experiment at the 5-spot. Vincent only played 5.7 minutes in the victory, but his defense stood out. Coach Brad Stevens had some praise for Poirier on the defensive end:

"I thought he played hard. He was in the right spots defensively. He read our coverage. When he was in, I felt good about our pick-and-roll defense - which is a big deal."


Kanter had a fine offensive game, scoring 11 points on 4-of-4 from the field, while taking down four rebounds. But with projected starters Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, that offensive production isn't needed. It looks like Stevens will give the starting gig to Poirier against Orlando on Friday and make adjustments based on what he sees.



Brad sees the need for tough defense right out of the gate, and hopefully Poirier can supply that. Running the offense through Kanter on the second unit with Marcus Smart supplying defense on the perimeter - and everywhere else - may be the plan. With Orlando's size up front, don't expect to see G-Will at the center spot, but nothing should be off the table here. This is, after all, exhibition season, and this is the premier time for experimentation.

Follow Tom at CelticsSentinel and Facebook

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on four occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 3.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the stage is often set for true horror. Such was the case with triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante . As a 16-year old , he quickly transitioned from: Minor thefts and breaking into homes To: Taunting and threatening a father and his two daughters as an unseen

Rules of survival: When search-and-rescue turns into body recovery

 How the Hell did this happen? Two days after 19-year-old Emily Sotelo was supposedly dropped off in Franconia Notch (NH) at roughly 5:00 AM ET, Sunday, November 20, 2022 by her mother, to hike several mountains alone, the search continues for the young lady. Photo by Linda Lane The information from news agencies indicated that Emily started hiking the trails while it was still dark. She was supposedly wearing only sneakers, a coat and workout pants. I can persona;ly attest that the weather in the area was very cold with high wind speeds, and gaining elevation on the trails would only add to the horrendous conditions. Ms. Sotelo was reportedly a seasoned hiker, but had little or no experience hiking in winter. At the peaks, temperatures on that Sunday dropped to zero degrees with a wind chill of minus-30 degrees. It is beyond my comprehension to imagine a hiker-of-experience tackling that kind of travel - in extreme weather - with only basic clothes and few (or no) supplies. I have hik

Nik Stauskas adds "shooting with size" voiced by Brad Stevens

 As a 6'6" shooting guard, 28-year-old Nik Stauskas adds that shooting with size sorely needed by the Boston Celtics. Drafted 8th-overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2014, Stauskas has bounced around to various teams since then. Nik Stauskas' deal with the Boston Celtics includes non-guaranteed salary for the second season in 2022-23, a source tells @celticsblog . — Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 4, 2022 Nik has never averaged more than 9.5 points per game in the NBA, but Boston is most likely counting on his production for Grand Rapids in the G League as the incentive to sign him. In 17 games thus far, he has averaged 24.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.8 APG - while shooting 50% on field goals and 45% on treys. Nik Stauskas is signing a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Stauskas had an historic week, scoring 100 points on 57 and 43 point performances in back-to-back games for Grand Rapids. — Adrian Wo