When you look at the Boston Celtics roster, there’s not many holes that need to be filled. They’re solid from top to bottom, they do a bunch of things very well and the team concept is very prevalent on the Brad Stevens coached team. They work the ball around like almost no other team and in three major team categories, pace, assists and defensive efficiency, the Celtics sit in the top five, according to ESPN.
The one aspect of their game that is missing is also a key piece to a championship team’s success. A Go-To guy. A scorer who can take over the game and just dominate the ball while also performing well in the team concept. It’s something that Boston Celtics general manager continues to note as a need for the C’s.
Following from Jay King of Masslive.com.
Echoing comments he made over the past summer, he renewed his desire to acquire more offensive punch Thursday during his weekly interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub.
“I think the one thing that we could really use is a go-to scorer,” Ainge said on the Toucher & Rich show. “We have some guys that have carried us — Kelly (Olynyk has) carried us, Avery (Bradley has) carried us, Isaiah (Thomas has) carried us, (Jared Sullinger has) carried us at moments during the season, Evan Turner has carried us. But we have got to — it would be nice to find another player that’s a reliable scorer at the end of games, night in and night out.”
Well, if you believe any of the trade rumors, there are some options for the C’s to test. Obivously, the one they have been linked to the most over the last year or so is Sacramento Kings center, DeMarcus Cousins. According to other reports, Houston Rockets big man Dwight Howard is available and the C’s also control a plethora of trade chips so anything could be on the table.
Most would say, stay put Boston. Make it work internally and who knows, maybe someone steps up and becomes that guy. As Ainge noted, Olynyk, Bradley, Sullinger and Thomas have stepped up when Boston needed it but they don’t have that consistent punch. That one guy who can take over the game at a minute’s notice.
It won’t take much away from the team to deal a big contract guy like David Lee along with some other pieces like James Young, Tyler Zeller and a couple of picks to acquire Boogie. It’s a C’s fans dream and the Kings could begin their rebuild but does Sacramento really want to do that?
Eventually something has to give and Boston appears to be that team poised to make the big move.
