The modern NBA is all about shooting, and no position has been immune to these changes.
The center position, in particular, has undergone massive changes. Gone are the days of a center primarily being a back-to-the-basket, low-post scorer. Centers, with a few exceptions, typically need to be able to shoot from 3-point range to have a place on the court during the most important minutes of a game.
Tacko Fall, however, could be an exception.
The 7-foot-6 center signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Boston Celtics in June and impressed during the team's five-game Las Vegas NBA Summer League run. He averaged 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in the tournament and impacted many shots defensively with his shot-blocking presence. This is one area where former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy sees Fall being able to carve out a role for himself in today's NBA. Here's what SVG had to say about Fall during a recent radio interview with Orlando station 96.9 The Game.
Fall is no lock to make the Celtics' regular season roster, but the team would be smart to at least bring him to training camp and see how he fits in with the whole group.
The Celtics have been busy re-tooling their frontcourt in free agency with the additions of Enes Kanter and Vincent Poirier. The team also drafted Grant Williams out of Tennessee in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, and he could see minutes at center in small-ball lineups. Robert Williams, who was Boston's 2018 first-round pick, also figures to be a key part of the center rotation.
Boston Celtics
Fall isn't a threat to shoot from the outside, but his shot blocking, rebounding and ability to alter opponents' shots around the rim are valuable skills the Celtics certainly could use on their roster. He definitely deserves a chance to prove himself, whether it's in Boston or somewhere else.
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