If reports are to be believed, the one thing remaining on the Boston Celtics’ offseason wish list is one more big man to round out their depth at all three levels.
The Celtics employ plenty of guards, with Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard all expected to play legitimate roles for the club this season. They also boast one of the best young-wing duos in the NBA with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who will be backed up by sharpshooters Grant Williams and Danilo Gallinari.
The one spot in which they are lacking is center, where the oft-injured Robert Williams and 36-year-old Al Horford combine to make for a good duo, but had clear limitations as a tandem and could use a smaller workload moving forward. While reports seem to indicate the Celtics want to add another big, the NBA Summer League tells us they may already have a talented young center waiting to be added to the active roster.
Mfiondu Kabengele has impressed in a pair of outings for the Summer League Celtics, averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and one block in 25 minutes per game. The Celtics are up to +35 when Kabengele is on the floor through two games.
Not only has Kabengele been good on the glass, providing the Summer League squad with some physicality, but he’s shot the ball well — going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc and 7-for-9 from the free throw line. Improved shooting has been the number one focus of the former first-round pick as he hopes to find his way back onto an NBA roster.
If the Celtics are unable to find a veteran option to serve as the number three — or perhaps number four, behind Luke Kornet — behind Williams and Horford, they have a 24-year-old who’s continuously improved since arriving in their system already on the books. At the very least, Kabengele has become the Celtics best internal option to serve a depth role, and there’s little doubt he’s earned a training camp invitation.
