The Boston Celtics got busy at the NBA trade deadline, but it’s not yet clear whether the action was for better or worse.
The impact of the Celtics’ trade deadline moves is the subject of analysis ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and NBA.com’s John Schuhmann offered Monday in the latest installments of their respective NBA power rankings.
Evan Fournier, Luke Kornet and Moritz Wagner joined the Celtics last week in trades, while Daniel Theis and Jeff Teague departed in trades. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge hopes the transactions will give hope to salvage some success from a season that’s veering toward disappointment.
Bontemps wonders in a key storyline he identifies about the 13th-ranked Celtics whether Williams will thrive in an expanded role Theis’ move to the Chicago Bulls created for him.
“Boston cashed in on most of the Gordon Hayward trade exception at Thursday’s deadline by landing Evan Fournier from the Magic and then promptly won two games without him over the weekend,” Bontemps wrote. “The question now is whether Fournier, who missed Saturday’s win over Oklahoma City due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, will make his debut on Monday against New Orleans (He did, and it didn’t go well for him). The other storyline to watch: Can Robert Williams III cement himself as Boston’s long-term starter at center in the wake of Daniel Theis’ departure?”
After dropping the Celtics from 16th to 17th in his latest NBA power rankings, Schumman expressed his skepticism over Williams’ ability to fill the Theis-sized void in Boston’s frontcourt. However, Schumann also reckons the Celtics might be surprisingly strong with Fournier and a full complement of healthy teammates available.
“One trade — acquiring Evan Fournier for two second-round picks and Jeff Teague — was a clear step forward. The other — sending Daniel Theis to Chicago to save money — was a clear step backward, even with Luke Kornet hitting back-to-back 3s in his Celtics debut on Saturday. Robert Williams III has had the better boxscore numbers and his first start of the season produced a strong start and a win in Milwaukee on Friday, when Williams had six assists (including a nice back-door feed to Kemba Walker), zero turnovers and five blocks. But the Celtics had been at their best with Theis at center, he’s been a valuable defender and screener over the last couple of years, and he offered a touch of floor spacing that they’re not getting from Williams or Tristan Thompson.
“Fournier, able to play on or off the ball, does give the Celtics some needed offense and depth. And it will be interesting to see, now that they have five good perimeter players again, how the Celtics close games when healthy.”
The Celtics have 25 games remaining on their its regular-season schedule to answer these questions. Not only will the results impact their playoff position and how they fare in the postseason, but Williams’, Fournier’s and others’ performances will affect how Ainge decides to construct Boston’s roster going forward.
