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Grant Hill & Rex Chapman on two additions needed by Celtics for post-season

Following the Celtics 113-101 win over the Chicago Bulls, NBA TV's Grant Hill and Rex Chapman had some thoughts on the current makeup of the team and changes that may be needed for the post-season. Although there was general agreement that Brad Stevens having four go-to scorers in Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward and the Jay Team gives The Green a huge advantage over other teams, the lack of another big man and one more perimeter bench player may hurt Boston's chances in the playoffs.

Hill stated the Celtics need "one more big to complement (Enes) Kanter", and there appeared to be agreement that Kanter has been "picked on" in the past during post-season play. Grant even mentioned the possibility of going after former-Celtic Aron Baynes to fill the bench-big-man role. Chapman agreed for the need for another big off the bench, stating "I think they're a big away ... they are gonna have to go out and get an Aron Baynes type of guy."



Grant also brought up the need for another player to come off the bench to score from the perimeter, stating "You need someone in the perimeter to come off the bench, in addition to another big." But the chance of Boston making a serious run in the playoffs without any moves was not ruled out. Hill suggested, "They could very well come out of the East" with the crew they have now. Rex alluded to a 6'5"-and-under League from the 1980's and how much fun they were to watch, suggesting that this is what the Celtics are right now.

One of the major questions here is, does Kanter get "picked on" in the playoffs? Is he a big, strong center with too much of a docile nature? The numbers verify some of the accusations. His per-36-minutes stats show a decline in production and shooting accuracy in the post-season. His career, regular-season per-36 numbers show 19.3 PPG, 12.5 RPG and 54.2% accuracy on field goals. The numbers drop to 16.1 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 51.3%, respectively, in the playoffs.

Even more revealing are his career Defensive Win Shares. He shows 13.7 for DWS in the regular season, but that number drops precipitously to 0.9 in the playoffs. But to be fair, these are numbers from the past. There is absolutely no reason for a 6'10", 250-pound specimen to get bullied in the post. Enes has always played with energy, and toughness for the likable big man seems to be on the rise. Still, Aron Baynes has never been accused of being the victim of bullying down low, thus the suggestion of the Celtics reacquiring Baynes was brought up by Grant and Rex.



On the subject of an additional shooter off the bench, I totally agree with Hill and Chapman. Lack of this addition could end up blocking Boston's chances for a deep playoff run. This is one addition that I see as mandatory. The trade deadline is February 6, 2020. But the pickup of a long-ball marksman via a buyout or free agency seems the more-probable route.

Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel, @CausewayStreet and Facebook




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