Sophmores, 2020-21 – Langford, G. Williams, Edwards, Waters, Tacko

Waters’ quick, active hands have impressed Brad Stevens on that end of the floor.

“I think that’s one of his great strengths,” Stevens told reporters Wednesday evening. “I think that’s what allows him to defend at his size. And it’s not necessarily reaching out of position. It’s always being in position and then using his active hands. So whether it’s shutting off a drive and then you can use your hands – he’s not reaching when he’s beat. He’s not reaching just out of laziness. He uses his hands well. I was thinking the same thing when we first drafted him. Like, ‘how’s he going to guard?’ And he’s proven to me that he can guard bigger guys because he gets his body in great position. When that ball is low, he takes it.”

Offensively, Waters has always been extremely gifted, and he’s showcased that in his first professional season. The organization loves Waters’ court vision and the way he’s adjusted his game at the pro level, according to a team source.

snip

“Tacko’s a different player. It’s unique when you’re trying to come up with a player development plan for Tacko. There’s not many guys to compare him to,” Barlow said. “You can look at guys like Boban (Marjanovic), Rudy Gobert to an extent, but even then Tacko is still six, eight inches standing reach longer than them. He’s done a really good job in the pick-and-roll. I think he’s shown that he’s more mobile than people might have thought.”

“Offensively, he can obviously post up, he can get offensive rebounds, but I think the area he’s shown the most improvement in is showing more skill,” Barlow added. “Whether it’s teams double him in the post and he passes out of it, whether it’s handling it some on the perimeter in our five-out actions – he’s not a finished product by any means and he still has a ways to go with that, but for a guy that’s 7-foot-7, to be able to handle the ball some, to be able to make some of the passes he does, I think he’s improved in that area.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisgrenham/2020/02/06/celtics-pleased-with-development-of-tremont-waters-tacko-fall/#f0868b914b34

Gant · Post #347 » by **Gant** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 2:54 pm

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Gant · Post #348 » by **Gant** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 3:09 pm

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Gant · Post #349 » by **Gant** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 4:38 pm

Gant wrote:

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Two months is a decent sample size. If Grant Williams becomes a bona fide 3 and D player with close to this level of 3 point percentage, then that's a very good draft pick.

Gant · Post #350 » by **Gant** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 4:46 pm

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CeltsfaninDC · Post #351 » by **CeltsfaninDC** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 4:49 pm

FinNasty wrote:
Fencer reregistered wrote:
FinNasty wrote:
Lol it wasn’t my tweet. I just posted it for the video b/c it’s a nice move/footwork and a nice hook shot... which is more than just dunking like many thought he’d only be capable when coming out of UCF.

He’s not going to be challenged much on the Red Claws. He needs NBA competition to push himself and keep improving with stuff like this.

Alternatively, he could be force-fed post scoring chances in Maine to an extent that leads opponents to focus their strategies on post defense. That would give him a harder offensive test as well.

I don't think there's enough size/athleticism in the G-League to really test him. He looks like a man among boys in that league. Plus, the Red Claws aren't intentionally running their offense through Tacko with the intent to force-feed and develop him.

He's not ready yet for real minutes in a competitive NBA game.

sam_I_am · Post #352 » by **sam_I_am** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 4:55 pm

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The kid is good. Seeing him mentioned as a throw in is insane. If the team asked more of him he would deliver. However, with so much talent in front of him he has to stand in the corner. He may be the wing version of Jermaine O’Neal when he sat on bench behind Rasheed, Sabonis and Shrempf.

Celtic Esquire · Post #353 » by **Celtic Esquire** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 4:59 pm

I was cringing at the Langford pick, but he has been a pleasant surprise so far.

His defense is pretty good for a rookie. Hope he continues to get regular minutes. I'd rather see what Langford can do (and develop at the same time) rather than give minutes to someone like Semi who has clearly hit his ceiling.

3D Chess · Post #354 » by **3D Chess** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 5:03 pm

Gant wrote:

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Post #355 » by **djFan71** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 5:11 pm

Gant wrote:

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Conversely, Javonte's DPI has been sky high lately, esp last night. I would love to see Romeo get all of his minutes. Give him a stint each half and develop the kid.

Spoiler:

Gant · Post #356 » by **Gant** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 5:49 pm

djFan71 wrote:
Gant wrote:

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Conversely, Javonte's DPI has been sky high lately, esp last night. I would love to see Romeo get all of his minutes. Give him a stint each half and develop the kid.
Spoiler:
dog poo index

It's injury related with Green. He's had some problems since he hurt his knee landing funny on a big dunk a few games ago.

Post #357 » by **djFan71** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 5:56 pm

Gant wrote:
djFan71 wrote:Conversely, Javonte's DPI has been sky high lately, esp last night. I would love to see Romeo get all of his minutes. Give him a stint each half and develop the kid.
Spoiler:
dog poo index

It's injury related with Green. He's had some problems since he hurt his knee landing funny on a big dunk a few games ago.

Oh, good call. I forgot about that. I still would love Romeo to get all of a fully healthy & operational Javonte's minutes, though. But, I do retract my DPI analysis.

Fencer reregistered · Post #358 » by **Fencer reregistered** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 6:01 pm

Gant wrote:
djFan71 wrote:
Gant wrote:

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Conversely, Javonte's DPI has been sky high lately, esp last night. I would love to see Romeo get all of his minutes. Give him a stint each half and develop the kid.
Spoiler:
dog poo index

It's injury related with Green. He's had some problems since he hurt his knee landing funny on a big dunk a few games ago.

Shades of Tony Allen?

Fencer reregistered · Post #359 » by **Fencer reregistered** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 6:03 pm

djFan71 wrote:
Gant wrote:
djFan71 wrote:Conversely, Javonte's DPI has been sky high lately, esp last night. I would love to see Romeo get all of his minutes. Give him a stint each half and develop the kid.
Spoiler:
dog poo index

It's injury related with Green. He's had some problems since he hurt his knee landing funny on a big dunk a few games ago.

Oh, good call. I forgot about that. I still would love Romeo to get all of a fully healthy & operational Javonte's minutes, though. But, I do retract my DPI analysis.

If Romeo had been healthy all along, perhaps he would have gotten chances before Edwards and Green. Well, they haven't done all that much with their chances, so it's his turn now.

BostonCouchGM · Post #360 » by **BostonCouchGM** » Thu Feb 6, 2020 8:37 pm

Gant wrote:
Gant wrote:

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Two months is a decent sample size. If Grant Williams becomes a bona fide 3 and D player with close to this level of 3 point percentage, then that's a very good draft pick.

two 3-4 nights completely skew these numbers. He's been an awful 3 pt shooter. At best he's eventually Jae Crowder who is a a decent role player. Again, Danny takes high floor low ceiling role players instead of someone with potential to develop into more. That's fine when you have a bonafide superstar or a loaded roster but in our market, you can't keep doing this. You have to hit on stars outside of the top 3.