With each passing NBA summer league game, Tacko Fall is making it harder and harder for the Boston Celtics to pass up keeping him on the roster.
The undrafted big man had another impressive showing Thursday night in Boston’s 113-87 summer league win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Fall’s final stat line was 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in just 17 minutes.
In four games this summer, the undrafted 7-foot-6 center is averaging 8.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and two blocks per game in just 14 minutes per contest. He’s also showing glimpses of how he might effectively be able to use his ridiculous 8-foot wingspan to flummox opponents.
Pretty impressive stuff. It’s easy to see why an NBA scout recently told the Boston Herald that Fall’s “risk-reward upside is phenomenal.” There reportedly are no plans to add Fall to the roster at the moment, but there’s also no need for the Celtics to rush into making that decision. Boston will get a closer look at what Fall can do — against better competition — when training camp rolls around, and if he continues to impress like he has in Las Vegas, he’s going to make it harder and harder for Boston to pass on the UCF product.
Coincidentally, the best version of Fall is what the Celtics need. He’s a (very) big man who can obviously protect the rim and rebound. He could be an interesting option off the Boston bench, and he obviously comes cheap after going undrafted. And with each positive step forward he takes, his cult following grows, something that’s unlikely to simmer anytime soon.
