Celtics sign Jabari Parker

[DourDoerr]

He adds a new dimension and takes the pressure off the second unit, so he's valuable. Encouraging signs watching him cut and seems to have little trouble getting up. Also, encouraging is his effort on D. On one play his man got around him, but JP competed, moved his feet and recovered for a block near the baseline. If you can get that effort on D, with what he brings as a scorer, you've got a nice piece for CBS to flash. Hopefully it's a sign that Danny's done screwing around. Get some vets in camp next year and let the young guys learn and compete for their spot. We had a nice mix pre-KI and have gotten away from that formula. Now we have a couple of All-Stars and the roster needs a better blend of young and old to complement.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

While bad I didnt think he was as horrendous on D last night. I was probably grading on a "2nd game and terrible Defensive reputation" curve.

I saw him get lost twice that resulted in baskets. He’s going to look better than his reputation with us once he gets in sync with his teammates simply because he’s no longer defending 20ppg scorers......instead second unit guys even on switches much of the time.

 

[Cellar-Door]

The first two games have been good situations for him to drop into with so many scorers out, and teams that don't really have the personnel or desire to actively hunt him.

He's about as expected, a bit more efficient maybe than I expected. On D if there is one thing I do think he's done a bit better than I remembered, it's his effort to contest 3s. We'll see if that translates to games where the guy he's contesting is more a threat to attack the closeout, but the effort has been good there which makes him possibly playable against spot up only bigs

 

[DJnVa]

I did see him communicate a bit on defense, pointing Tatum over to a player, while he picked up his man.

 

[BaseballJones]

Parker may not be a great player (clearly he's got shortcomings), but one thing he can provide is a good scoring spark, which is important in a second unit kind of guy. Two games with Boston:

15 min, 5-6, 11 points
15 min, 4-7, 8 points

30 min, 9-13, 19 points (0.63 points a minute)

When the second unit is in, sometimes scoring can be a big problem. It's one reason why Kanter, for all his flaws, was actually pretty valuable. He could come in and at least give you THAT. Parker can provide that too. So he does give the team something.

 

[cardiacs]

He's way better than Moe Wagner.

The toss up between Grant, Semi, and Jabari is still a toss-up. They all give you different things, and they all have huge inadequacies.

If the Celtics are 100% healthy hopefully this group gets less than 10 minutes/game collectively

 

[NomarsFool]

When the second unit is in, sometimes scoring can be a big problem.

Sometimes?

 

[Cellar-Door]

Sometimes?

Depends who is healthy. Full strength our second unit scores fine since it has 2 of Kemba/NG/Tatum/Brown on it.

 

[DGreenwood]

I think it's hard to get over the perception that he's not any good because he's a number 2 pick that fell way short of expectations. If he had been a second round pick that spent the last six years bouncing around between the G League/Europe/the end of NBA benches, I'd probably be very pleasantly surprised with what he's been able to contribute over the first couple of games.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

I think it's hard to get over the perception that he's not any good because he's a number 2 pick that fell way short of expectations. If he had been a second round pick that spent the last six years bouncing around between the G League/Europe/the end of NBA benches, I'd probably be very pleasantly surprised with what he's been able to contribute over the first couple of games.

That's an interesting thought experiment. Some might argue that only a #2 pick would get as many chances as he does. He did blow at least a couple of defensive assignments.

 

[DJnVa]

That's an interesting thought experiment. Some might argue that only a #2 pick would get as many chances as he does. He did blow at least a couple of defensive assignments.

I think that's to be expected. Not much practice and playing with weird lineups.

 

[the moops]

I did see him communicate a bit on defense, pointing Tatum over to a player, while he picked up his man.

How low of a bar have we set here for this guy?

 

[DJnVa]

How low of a bar have we set here for this guy?

Eh, sure, but defensive communication is really important in today's NBA. He was at least cognizant enough of the situation to call something out.

 

[NomarsFool]

Depends who is healthy. Full strength our second unit scores fine since it has 2 of Kemba/NG/Tatum/Brown on it.

Have we had all that group healthy for any game this season? I hope Fournier is able to get his rhythm back quickly as I’m excited to see how things go with him finally in the lineup with everyone else.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Have we had all that group healthy for any game this season? I hope Fournier is able to get his rhythm back quickly as I’m excited to see how things go with him finally in the lineup with everyone else.

3 whole games:
BOS 108- 113 DAL
BOS 118- 102 HOU
BOS 116- 86 CHA

Edit- looking at the DAL game gives us some insight into the likely rotation even though both bigs were out... it's the 4 scorers, Smart, two bigs, then about 25 minutes top left over (probably less, the backup bigs played less than our good bigs usually do) to split among PP and the wings/swings.

 

[128]

3 whole games:
BOS 108- 113 DAL
BOS 118- 102 HOU
BOS 116- 86 CHA

Edit- looking at the DAL game gives us some insight into the likely rotation even though both bigs were out... it's the 4 scorers, Smart, two bigs, then about 25 minutes top left over (probably less, the backup bigs played less than our good bigs usually do) to split among PP and the wings/swings.

Was Romeo back for those games?

 

[Cellar-Door]

Was Romeo back for those games?

Only CHA. TT was out for all of them, Semi for all of them, and TL for DAL.

We have never been fully healthy, but that was the only game where all of our scoring guards/wings were healthy at the same time.

 

[128]

We have never been fully healthy, but that was the only game where all of our scoring guards/wings were healthy at the same time.

This continues to boggle the mind.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Parker may not be a great player (clearly he's got shortcomings), but one thing he can provide is a good scoring spark, which is important in a second unit kind of guy. Two games with Boston:

15 min, 5-6, 11 points
15 min, 4-7, 8 points

30 min, 9-13, 19 points (0.63 points a minute)

When the second unit is in, sometimes scoring can be a big problem. It's one reason why Kanter, for all his flaws, was actually pretty valuable. He could come in and at least give you THAT. Parker can provide that too. So he does give the team something.

This will be less valuable once Fournier, who can also score off the bench, is back, but I imagine Parker will still get some opportunites based on matchups.

 

[lovegtm]

I didn't pay any attention to this signing initially, but I'm getting pretty intrigued by his length and the flashes he's as a roll man. He may have a real future as a matchup "big" in the modern NBA, where you face tons of undersized/no-post-game 5s.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

You can see how badly this team needed more credible NBA veterans on the roster by the fact that Parker, who has been varying degrees of fine, looks like a stabilizing force by comparison. Really opens things up when you limit the minutes of guys who can't dribble, pass, or make any decision on offense outside of open catch and shoot threes.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Parker has this really nice short midrange game and thus far they have had good success in exploiting it. Having a rotation piece who can get buckets when things get mucked up has value.

It will be interesting to see how Stevens manages him in the playoffs. Its hard seeing him in many late game situations given his defensive shortcomings as well as lack of familiarity with the Cs playbook (hopefully this is less of a concern in a few weeks). On the other hand, he has looked competent as Jed notes so perhaps he can give them something down the stretch.

 

[lovegtm]

Parker has this really nice short midrange game and thus far they have had good success in exploiting it. Having a rotation piece who can get buckets when things get mucked up has value.

It will be interesting to see how Stevens manages him in the playoffs. Its hard seeing him in many late game situations given his defensive shortcomings as well as lack of familiarity with the Cs playbook (hopefully this is less of a concern in a few weeks). On the other hand, he has looked competent as Jed notes so perhaps he can give them something down the stretch.

Probably they'll use him like they did last night: in mid-game situations where the other team is playing a smaller big. If he's getting any late-game minutes, it means some core rotation member(s) got hurt.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Probably they'll use him like they did last night: in mid-game situations where the other team is playing a smaller big. If he's getting any late-game minutes, it means some core rotation member(s) got hurt.

Yes. As a reminder, the Celtics top 6 is Tatum, Brown, Walker, Smart, Fournier, and Time Lord. Maybe throw Thomposon in for top 7.

Guys not available in Parker's 3 games as a Celtic (in which he played 15-16 minutes in each):

• Golden State: Brown, Fournier, Time Lord
• Chicago: Walker, Smart, Fournier, Time Lord
• Phoenix: Brown, Fournier, Time Lord

With a full roster, Parker will struggle to find minutes.

 

[benhogan]

Yes. As a reminder, the Celtics top 6 is Tatum, Brown, Walker, Smart, Fournier, and Time Lord. Maybe throw Thomposon in for top 7.

Guys not available in Parker's 3 games as a Celtic (in which he played 15-16 minutes in each):

• Golden State: Brown, Fournier, Time Lord
• Chicago: Walker, Smart, Fournier, Time Lord
• Phoenix: Brown, Fournier, Time Lord

With a full roster, Parker will struggle to find minutes.

TT definitely rounds out the top 7. There is a pretty clear delineation between #1-7 and the rest of the roster.
Pritchard is establishing himself as the 8th option. That's your playoff rotation.

Agree that Parker is situational and will struggle to find minutes with a healthy roster. Jabari can be a small-ball offensive Center. Defensively he really can't cover a wing on the perimeter for more than 5 seconds. The more he plays now, and learns, the less he will be inept when the playoffs hit.

Basically, 9-13 (Parker, Grant, Romeo, Semi, Kornet) are all situational role players that will see very scattered minutes in early playoff series games. Wouldn't expect to see Parker or #9-13 in a tight elimination game.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Basically, 9-13 (Parker, Grant, Romeo, Semi, Kornet) are all situational role players that will see very scattered minutes in early playoff series games. Wouldn't expect to see Parker or #9-13 in a tight elimination game.

Romeo was first guy off the bench in G2 v the Heat last year. He's the Cs best defender against scoring guards. He'll get minutes, maybe not consistent minutes, but Brad clearly trusts him on D.

 

[TripleOT]

Since Parker, the bench has been plus-9, minus-3, plus-16, after consistently getting outscored all season. Small sample size, but still impressive, given that multiple starters are out, forcing Brad to go deeper into his bench

It looks to me like the veterans already trust Parker, and look to get him the ball. His defensive shortcomings are well known, but he has looked more competitive on defense than I expected, especially when not being too familiar with the system.

Out of the bench wings, he’s the only guy who can actually make shots near the basket consistently, and the only one who can work the baseline to score. Too bad his threeball is horrible.

Assuming the Celtics get healthy, TT and Fournier are the two bench players who will get big playoff minutes, with the rest of the minutes handed out situationally, with Grant/Semi/Romeo for defense, and PP and Parker for offense, although PP might claim regular minutes.

Parker getting acceptance on defense and solidifying his spot for the playoffs would be a huge plus, and will be a necessity if any of the top seven are not available. With all this protocol stuff, he’s good insurance

 

[Cellar-Door]

Last night was interesting, his first stint didn't go great. His second was that weird run where the Celtics expanded the lead, but actually played terrible D, the Suns just missed a bunch of wide open jumpers. I think what you saw there was how a lot of Jabari games will go. He'll get some run to see if he can bring more to the offense than the D, and Brad will let him stay until the other team starts to hit shots, then he'll come back out.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Last night was interesting, his first stint didn't go great. His second was that weird run where the Celtics expanded the lead, but actually played terrible D, the Suns just missed a bunch of wide open jumpers.

Agree with this. The Cs, missing 3 of their top 6 players, had a comfortable win against the team with the second best record who was what 19-8 on the road including what I thought I saw was 10-3 on 2nd night of B2Bs. On the other hand, I thought they didn't play well but PHO missed a ton of what I thought were open shots - including the first shot of the night where Booker had no one within 5 feet of him.

Weird game.

 

[chilidawg]

TT definitely rounds out the top 7. There is a pretty clear delineation between #1-7 and the rest of the roster.
Pritchard is establishing himself as the 8th option. That's your playoff rotation.

Agree that Parker is situational and will struggle to find minutes with a healthy roster. Jabari can be a small-ball offensive Center. Defensively he really can't cover a wing on the perimeter for more than 5 seconds. The more he plays now, and learns, the less he will be inept when the playoffs hit.

Basically, 9-13 (Parker, Grant, Romeo, Semi, Kornet) are all situational role players that will see very scattered minutes in early playoff series games. Wouldn't expect to see Parker or #9-13 in a tight elimination game.

You seem to think it's a given that we'll be at full strength for the playoffs. After this season that just doesn't seem likely.

 

[NomarsFool]

We have two players (Romeo and Semi) which are great defensively, but can't (so far) seem to be able to do anything on offense. Semi can at least hit 3s, and I do think Romeo will eventually find the basket, but so far it hasn't been there. They complement each other well, because Romeo is quicker and Semi is stronger.

Grant's fit is a bit tough, because he is better at the 3 than Semi - but isn't really an asset from a defensive standpoint, and also can't generate offense on his own. So, he's useful to space out the floor for the starters, but not a great fit with the 2nd unit.

Parker is the only one of this group that seems to be able to put the ball in the basket. So, I think there could be situations where he provides some value.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

You seem to think it's a given that we'll be at full strength for the playoffs. After this season that just doesn't seem likely.

Well, if Parker is playing regular minutes in the playoffs, my guess is that the Cs will not be playing very long.

 

[lexrageorge]

While the Top 7 of this team's rotation is essentially fixed, the 8th slot is wide open and will not be fixed to a particular player even in the playoffs. Some nights it will be Parker; others it may be Pritchard or Langford. That's not unusual in the NBA. So, Parker and Langford will get their minutes if they keep doing what is being asked of them.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Yes. As a reminder, the Celtics top 6 is Tatum, Brown, Walker, Smart, Fournier, and Time Lord. Maybe throw Thomposon in for top 7.

Guys not available in Parker's 3 games as a Celtic (in which he played 15-16 minutes in each):

• Golden State: Brown, Fournier, Time Lord
• Chicago: Walker, Smart, Fournier, Time Lord
• Phoenix: Brown, Fournier, Time Lord

With a full roster, Parker will struggle to find minutes.

I’ve said from the day he was signed that Ainge brought him here to play. He’s already established himself as a regular rotation player. It isn’t like we are playing 6-7 guys even in the playoffs.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

While the Top 7 of this team's rotation is essentially fixed, the 8th slot is wide open and will not be fixed to a particular player even in the playoffs. Some nights it will be Parker; others it may be Pritchard or Langford. That's not unusual in the NBA. So, Parker and Langford will get their minutes if they keep doing what is being asked of them.

I would be shocked if PP got a DNP-CD in the playoffs at any point. They need his shooting and ball handling on the 2nd unit.

 

[Cellar-Door]

I’ve said from the day he was signed that Ainge brought him here to play. He’s already established himself as a regular rotation player. It isn’t like we are playing 6-7 guys even in the playoffs.

We'll likely play 6 guys big minutes, with between 2 and 4 guys on small minutes.
Looking at the healthy playoff games last year (so with Hayward) the top 6 got big minutes..
I assume that will be the same this year.

THe 7th and 8th guys in 4 of 5 were Williams and Wanamaker for around 10 min each. The 9th was usually Kanter at 5-8 minutes (one game he and Wanamaker flipped) some games had a 10th or even 11th at 0-5 minutes.

I would guess our 7 will be Thompson. The 8 is probably going to be a guard (PP or Romeo)... Jabari will play the Kanter role I'd guess.

 

[benhogan]

You seem to think it's a given that we'll be at full strength for the playoffs. After this season that just doesn't seem likely.

its a 100% Hogan guarantee they will ALL be healthy. Yes thats exactly what's going to happen and I've been saying

 

[Eddie Jurak]

I’ve said from the day he was signed that Ainge brought him here to play. He’s already established himself as a regular rotation player. It isn’t like we are playing 6-7 guys even in the playoffs.

If the team is healthy, I don't see a regular role for him. A situational role (when Brad wants to sacrifice defense for scoring), sure.

 

[Cellar-Door]

I would be shocked if PP got a DNP-CD in the playoffs at any point. They need his shooting and ball handling on the 2nd unit.

Maybe, but remember there basically is no "2nd unit" in the playoffs, you always have 2 of your top 5 (non-C starters plus NG) and often 3 on the court with each playing 35-42 minutes and staggered rest.

 

[DJnVa]

Maybe, but remember there basically is no "2nd unit" in the playoffs, you always have 2 of your top 5 (non-C starters plus NG) and often 3 on the court with each playing 35-42 minutes and staggered rest.

True, but PP isn't a guy that ever gets a DNP-CD. To me the guys that are going to sit are the guys that sit in various matchups all year long.

DNP-CD:

PP: 0 (double digit minutes in every game except 4 (and he was injured in 1).
GW: 7 (and 6 additional games with less than 10 minutes).
SO: 4 (and 9 additional games with less than 10 minutes).
RL: 0 (3 of 10 games with less than 10 minutes).
JP: SSS

I can't see PP going from a 20 minutes/game guy to 0 minutes. I see less minutes, but not 0.

 

[Cellar-Door]

True, but PP isn't a guy that ever gets a DNP-CD. To me the guys that are going to sit are the guys that sit in various matchups all year long.

DNP-CD:

PP: 0 (double digit minutes in every game except 4 (and he was injured in 1).
GW: 7 (and 6 additional games with less than 10 minutes).
SO: 4 (and 9 additional games with less than 10 minutes).
RL: 0 (3 of 10 games with less than 10 minutes).
JP: SSS

I can't see PP going from a 20 minutes/game guy to 0 minutes. I see less minutes, but not 0.

He probably won't, but we also haven't seen what the rotation of this team looks like if all his minutes competitors are healthy, so what does a PP spot look like when Kemba, Smart, Brown, Tatum, NG, Romeo are all healthy? Could be a Javonte Green situation. Javonte played almost every game for a long stretch last year... then we got everyone healthy and he lost minutes, started getting some DNP-CDs... etc.

I think Pritchard will probably get 4-9 minutes a game in the playoffs, with maybe a DNP-CD or two mixed in depending if we stay healthy and how far we go.

 

[Euclis20]

True, but PP isn't a guy that ever gets a DNP-CD. To me the guys that are going to sit are the guys that sit in various matchups all year long.

DNP-CD:

PP: 0 (double digit minutes in every game except 4 (and he was injured in 1).
GW: 7 (and 6 additional games with less than 10 minutes).
SO: 4 (and 9 additional games with less than 10 minutes).
RL: 0 (3 of 10 games with less than 10 minutes).
JP: SSS

I can't see PP going from a 20 minutes/game guy to 0 minutes. I see less minutes, but not 0.

One interesting thing (to me at least) to note - I assumed we'd see Pritchard playing far more minutes in back to backs (when Kemba sits), but it hasn't been that huge of a spread:

Back to backs: 21.9 minutes (9 games)
All others: 18.5 minutes (44 games)

I assumed it would be around 10 minutes. No more rest days for Kemba in the playoffs means fewer minutes for Pritchard, but maybe not as big of a gap as expected.

 

[NomarsFool]

One interesting thing (to me at least) to note - I assumed we'd see Pritchard playing far more minutes in back to backs (when Kemba sits), but it hasn't been that huge of a spread:

Yes. We saw some Jeff Teague starting earlier in the season when Kemba was out. In the most recent back to back against the Knicks, we saw Marcus Smart at 36 minutes and PP at 16 minutes. So, "Kemba's minutes" must have gone to Romeo and Grant (about 25 minutes each) or maybe Semi (13 minutes).

 

[TripleOT]

Going by last year’s playoff minutes, there will be 16 non Jays minutes, and 21 non Smart/Kemba minutes. If Fournier can play 30 minutes, there will be only 7 minutes for non centers, assuming TL and TT divide the center minutes.

 

[Jimbodandy]

One interesting thing (to me at least) to note - I assumed we'd see Pritchard playing far more minutes in back to backs (when Kemba sits), but it hasn't been that huge of a spread:

Back to backs: 21.9 minutes (9 games)
All others: 18.5 minutes (44 games)

I assumed it would be around 10 minutes. No more rest days for Kemba in the playoffs means fewer minutes for Pritchard, but maybe not as big of a gap as expected.

Kemba looks pretty awesome lately, but I'm not sure that the bolded is a given.

 

[DGreenwood]

Kemba looks pretty awesome lately, but I'm not sure that the bolded is a given.

I don't think he meant that Kemba has progressed to the point where he doesn't need rest days. He's been resting on the back-to-backs which won't happen in the playoffs.

 

[Jimbodandy]

I don't think he meant that Kemba has progressed to the point where he doesn't need rest days. He's been resting on the back-to-backs which won't happen in the playoffs.

Yes I know. And it sounds crazy to think that anyone would sit in the playoffs. But I would be surprised if Kemba plays every other day for 3 weeks too. Very surprised, playoffs or not.

 

[DGreenwood]

Yes I know. And it sounds crazy to think that anyone would sit in the playoffs. But I would be surprised if Kemba plays every other day for 3 weeks too. Very surprised, playoffs or not.

He’ll get breaks after Celtics sweeps, while they wait for the other series to finish up.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Yes I know. And it sounds crazy to think that anyone would sit in the playoffs. But I would be surprised if Kemba plays every other day for 3 weeks too. Very surprised, playoffs or not.

I don’t know why this would be a surprise as Kemba has been playing 3 games per week on schedule since he returned. Aside from the knee he’s historically been a very durable player in avoiding the nagging injuries that shelf you for a couple games.....especially for a player who must go hard whenever he’s out there.

 

[radsoxfan]

I know in the playoffs you play your best guys and positions aren't always that important, but the top 2 bench guys will be Fournier and TT. There isn't another ball handler at all aside from PP, hard to imagine he isn't going to get at least a little run to spell Marcus and/or Kemba. Tatum can play PG in a pinch but I would be pretty surprised if Pritchard isn't a consistent presence down the stretch, even if its only 10-12 minutes a game.

We can all hope that everyone is healthy and that top 8 gets 95% of the available minutes. I agree player X in that 9th spot will probably depend on other factors, who is playing well, the matchup, etc.

If there is a game down the stretch that Grant, Semi, Nesmith, and Romeo all get DNP-CD, that will be very very good news for the 2021 Boston Celtics.