Tacko Fall, who towers above his basketball peers at 7-foot-6, recently became a cult hero while suiting up for the Boston Celtics in the NBA summer league.
ESPN.com’s Kevin Pelton acknowledged Fall’s rapid rise to stardom by labeling the UCF product the “most popular rookie” to play in Las Vegas.
“I don’t think I quite appreciated the Tacko phenomenon until he stood up to check in during his debut and receiving an enormous cheer from the crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center,” Pelton wrote in a piece published Tuesday. “Typically, such fanfare during routine game action in Las Vegas is reserved for the arrival of a star player like LeBron James as a spectator. So I instinctively looked at the entrance before realizing the popular star was in fact the 7-foot-6 Fall, who drew similar response all week and inspired a pair of Celtics fans to dress in taco costumes for ‘Tacko Tuesday.’ ”
Pelton bestowed the honor upon Fall in a piece devoted to handing out NBA summer league superlatives, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker of the New Orleans Pelicans and Brandon Clarke of the Memphis Grizzlies receiving “best rookie” and “best rookie (tournament edition)” honors, respectively.
It hardly should come as a surprise, seeing as how Celtics fans — and basketball fans in general, really — voiced their support for Fall with unbridled enthusiasm over the past couple of weeks. It wasn’t for nothing, either, as Fall, who went undrafted, showed he actually might have a future in The Association.
“More than just a curiosity, Fall performed better in summer action than he did at the combine,” Pelton wrote. “His size makes finishes around the basket nearly automatic, and Fall shot 77% from the field while grabbing 20 rebounds and blocking seven shots in 63 minutes. More importantly, opposing offenses weren’t able to take advantage of Fall defending away from the basket enough to value the production he provides inside. So perhaps there is reason to believe Fall could carve out an NBA career as a lesser version of the equally beloved Boban Marjanovic.”
The Celtics were forced to revamp their front court after losing Al Horford to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. They added Enes Kanter and Vincent Poirier in addition to re-signing Daniel Theis. But maybe, just maybe, Fall will factor into coach Brad Stevens’ plans moving forward.
It certainly would appease the masses.
