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:
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.
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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."
Vincent Poirier talks about his approach to the preseason and being in the right spots on defense. pic.twitter.com/xOR2memuS1
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 8, 2019
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.
The highlight here is Grant Williams helping and getting the block, but this is the first time in this game that I've seen a big slide and stay in front of his man, so defensive points here to Vincent Poirier pic.twitter.com/26IwAF0CFU
— John Karalis 🇬🇷 (@RedsArmy_John) October 7, 2019
Brad Stevens indicates that Enes Kanter will probably come off the bench for the Celtics if they continue to start the four guards and wings. This will allow the team to play through him more in the post while he’s in.
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) October 8, 2019
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.
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