Tacko Fall continues to say all the right things in his quest for a spot on the Boston Celtics’ roster.
The rookie big man is biding his time until training camp, which will mark his next chance to make a positive impact on the Celtics coaching staff and front office. The undrafted UCF product has been quite the find thus far after an impressive summer league showing that almost instantly transformed him into a Boston sports cult hero.
Fall on Monday reflected on his career in a conversation with Kyle Belanger as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s “60 Days of Summer,” and the 7-foot-6 center got his chance to thank Celtics fans for their support thus far.
“I’m thankful. I feel really blessed to be in the position that I am,” Fall said. “I didn’t expect what happened in Vegas (at the summer league), but whenever I stepped on the court and looked around and I saw all these people cheering for me — like I said, where I came from — it really inspired me to keep pushing. Thank you for your support, I really appreciate it and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Fall isn’t yet penciled in for Boston’s opening night roster. He’ll have to prove himself against better competition at training camp and during the Celtics’ exhibition slate. Despite flashing signs of being a legitimate NBA contributor, Fall still has work to do.
“Just getting used to the system being in Boston and working on the things that got me here,” he said. “Keep working on my body and getting to be in great shape so I can stay on the court, being able to run up and down and just do simple things. Those are the little things that will take you really far.”
Not only have fans embraced Fall, but the center said he’s fit right in with a young, revamped Celtics core.
“You can tell it’s such a positive vibe around it and everyone is working hard,” Fall said. “The ones who are here, the ones who are with Team USA, us — we started in summer league — I’m just looking forward to what’s to come.”
See Fall’s full conversation in the video below.
