Tacko Fall will spend the majority of his first professional season with the Celtics’ G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, but that isn’t to say his teammates in Boston aren’t confident in his playing ability.
The 7-foot-5 center received some high praise from Gordon Hayward in a Players’ Tribune article published Wednesday ahead of the Celtics’ season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. Most people know Fall for his size, but Hayward says there’s already much more than meets the eye just a few months into the 23-year-old’s career.
Here’s what Hayward had to say:
“Here’s the thing with Tacko: People see his size, and they see the way crowds respond to him….. and I think, just off of that, there’s kind of a tendency to view him as almost this, like, ‘novelty attraction.’ You know what I mean? But I’ll tell you what — after seeing him in practice firsthand: Tacko is legit. Absolutely 10000% legit. Like, when he gets to his spot?? He’s a problem. It’s that simple. There’s nobody in the entire league who is going to be able to stop Tacko when he gets to his spot.
“Now, is he going to be able to get there consistently?? That’s something he’s going to have to work hard on. Guys still take advantage of his frame way too often, and get underneath him. But from what I’ve seen, he has the drive to figure it out. Honestly, the way he’s not only come along as a player, but also embraced his popularity and all of that….. I respect it a lot. That takes some serious, next-level maturity. Tacko’s earned everything he gets.”
Fall will be inactive when the Celtics take on the Sixers on Wednesday as he remains in the NBA’s concussion protocol. His 45-day limit in Boston (per two-way contract regulations) will begin ticking once G League training camps open on Oct. 28.
Tip-off from Wells Fargo Center is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
