Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

Celtics French import, Vincent Poirier, has only averaged 4.6 minutes per game over seven games in which he has seen action. His stats thus far bring into question his fully-guaranteed 2-year/$5.1 million contract. In an attempt to partially answer that question, Boston is sending Vincent to the G League Maine Red Claws. We have assigned Vincent Poirier to the @maineredclaws #FlywireTeamTransactions — Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 5, 2019 Poirier's stat line shows only 1.3 PPGF and 1.1 RPG, hardly the stuff of rookie legends. Most viewers that have watched him perform on the hardwood don't come away with thoughts of seeing an NBA-level player - at least not yet. With the NBA trade deadline roughly two months away (February 7, 2020), Danny Ainge needs to get Poirier some playing time against lesser competition to see what he invested in. For some of the same reasons, Brad Stevens is giving Semi Ojeleye more minutes with the Celtics. Unlike Poirier's contract, Sem...

The Boston Celtics take on the Orlando Magic in exhibition play tonight, and we will get our first look at rookie Romeo Langford. He spent most of the 2018-19 season at Indiana playing with a torn ligament in his right thumb - quite an issue for a shooting guard who shoots right-handed. Langford sat out Summer League because of that injury, and the time has come to watch the youngster in action. Romeo Langford could easily have a better career than R.J. Barrett. Langford is going to the Celtics (a great place to develop), Barrett is going to the Knicks (not a good place to develop) pic.twitter.com/C3Sxm16V6d — Ben Stinar (@BenStinar) October 7, 2019 Though listed at 6'6" in college, Romeo stands 6'4" without shoes, but he has an-almost 6'11" wingspan. He is very athletic and is dangerous in transition. He appears lighter than 215 pounds, but I attribute that to his solid, muscular physique. Romeo Langford makes his debut tonight versus Orlando. Indiana...

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." 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 offens...

With Tacko Fall's agent pushing for a standard NBA contract for his client, Celtics boss, Danny Ainge, needs to be cautious in his dealings with the Green Giant lest he get away and become a dominant big man for a rival team. Celtics Training Camp is now underway, and Fall is already learning how to bump and grind with his fellow-bigs, Enes Kanter and Vincent Poirier. Looks like @EnesKanter and @tackofall99 had some fun during 1-on-1's at #Celtics practice today 👀😂🔥 pic.twitter.com/cBrS6OMzd4 — Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 1, 2019 Tacko is currently signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, and there are several possible avenues he can follow at the completion of Training Camp: Accept a $50,000.00 bonus and go with the G-League Maine Red Claws This is most-likely Danny Ainge's wish for the rookie. It would give Tacko a chance to show what he can do against lesser competition and give the raw rookie some experience without the threat of possible humi...

The Boston Celtics lost three of their four top rebounders from last season this summer to trades and free agency. Al Horford (6.7 RPG in 2018-19), Kyrie Irving (5.0 RPG) and Aron Baynes (4.7 RPG) are gone. Jayson Tatum was the Celtics second-best board man with 6.0/game. Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown round out the top-5 at 4.5 and 4.2 rebounds per game last season. Boston had no players in the top-50 for rebounding, and only two in the top-100. The team finished 22nd in that category, grabbing 44.5 per game. But help is on the way. Newly-acquired Vincent Poirier is averaging 5.0 RPG in FIBA World Cup competition with only 16 MPG of floor time. Daniel Theis is averaging 6.3 RPG for Germany in only 18 Minutes/game, while Jayson Tatum is grabbing 7.5 boards/game for the USA in 24.0 MPG. Vincent Poirier ( @viinze_17P ) with two BIG dunks against Lithuania yesterday. He continies to show his incredible athleticism. pic.twitter.com/WSG66NzMVV — Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) Septe...

There are six Boston Celtics players currently involved in FIBA World Cup competition, each with two games under their belts. Here are my ratings thus far, solely based on the statistics via USAB.Com . Number 1: Kemba Walker There is no surprise here. Kemba has been vital to Team USA's 2-0 record. In 25.0 minutes per game, he has averaged 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals. And he has shot 50% on field goals and 36% on 3-pointers. His quickness on offense and dedication to defense has put tremendous pressure on the opposition. Number 2: Jayson Tatum Jayson's shooting has been off, only hitting 32% of his field goals and 25% on treys. But he has averaged 10.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. With 24.5 MPG of floor time, Coach Gregg Popovich obviously sees Tatum's importance to the cause. Jayson is expected to miss the following two games with a moderate ankle injury. Number 3: Vincent Poirier Poirier has only logged 14.0 ...

I have few worries concerning the point guard slot for the Celtics this coming season. Newly-acquired Kemba Walker is a proven star at the position, and I have total faith in Marcus Smart to play that role. And I would be surprised if we didn't see rookie Carsen Edwards pick up some minutes at the point. How about wings? We have plenty of those - Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Daniel Theis, rookie Grant Williams and Smart in specific circumstances. The wing lineup should project somewhere between solid-and-terrific. We know the players Boston has at the center position. What we don't know is how they project in Brad Stevens offensive and defensive schemes. None of the Celtics centers have Al Horford's package of 3-point shooting, defense, passing and overall versatility. If we watched highlight reels of Vincent Poirier, Enes Kanter and Rob Williams, we would see scores on lobs, dunks and put-backs - with an occasional block on opponents' shot attempts. ...

Last season for the Boston Celtics was a major disappointment, but I doubt we will have a repeat. Kyrie Irving has been ably-replaced by Kemba Walker, and the center position has taken on a whole new look. One positive factor for Boston for the coming season is as close-to-guaranteed as it gets. The quartet occupying the 5-spot will be a major improvement in the rebounding department, especially on the offensive end. Last season, the Celtics finished the regular season ranked 22nd in rebounding, averaging 44.5 RPG. Al Horford is off to the rival 76'ers, and he was the Celts main board guy, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game, with 1.7 coming off the offensive glass. Al ranked 45th in the NBA in this specific category during the regular season. Newly-acquired Enes Kanter finished last season ranked 14th in rebounding with 9.8 RPG, 3.8 of which were of the offensive variety ( per NBA's Taylor C. Snow ): In 20 career matchups against the C’s, Kanter has averaged 12.9 points and 8...

The Celtics point guard position is secured with Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart in command, and Brad Wanamaker and rookie Carsen Edwards as backups. The wing slots are more-than-filled with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward and draft pick Grant Williams. We might include rookie Romeo Langford in that group after we see him in pre-season play. Smart also can migrate to the wing position in certain matchups. The 5-spot remains an issue. Danny Ainge has ably replaced Aron Baynes' grit and grind with the additions of Enes Kanter and European Vincent Poirier. Both can bump, rebound and score down low, but don't expect them to hit from any distance or defend on the perimeter - at least not yet. Those are two areas where the now-departed Al Horford excelled. Is second-year man, Rob Williams, a solution. He can catch and finish with lobs, rebound and protect the rim, but he is still a work in progress. His 3-point shot? Doesn't have one - not yet. You may be noticing m...