The Boston Celtics will be without a number of key contributors Wednesday night against the rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers.
But for the first time in a long time, they’ll be deepest at the center position.
With Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter, Robert Williams and Vincent Poirier all finally available, it will be interesting to see how things play out for Kanter the rest of the season.
Despite being available, the big man didn’t play two games ago against the Houston Rockets, and it was his first DNP since November in the middle of a two- and three-game inactive stretch. The overtime loss to the Rockets also was Williams’ first game back since December.
Kanter saw a minimized role in February in general, especially during his last five games.
This season he’s averaged 8.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and a plus/minus of 3.9 percent. Narrowed down to February, those numbers drop to 5.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, a plus/minus of 2.7 percent. He’s averaged 18.1 minutes a game this season.
Per The Athletic’s Jay King, Kanter only has reached that once in the last five games.
With Williams back, and Theis proving to be incredibly reliable for the Celtics as the season goes on, it will be interesting to see what role Kanter plays. Especially with rookies Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards showing promise during the few minutes they receive.
Despite what role he plays on the court, Kanter undeniably is a great locker room presence. The question is at what cost?
