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For four years, your letters have piled up in our virtual inbox.
Questions about draft picks. Questions about trade possibilities. Questions about Guerschon Yabusele’s posterior and Carsen Edwards’ thighs. With each message, we’d reflect wistfully on the days of the original Celtics Mailbag.
For four years, we heard your clamoring. We heard your cries. Like this one …
Sure, that may or may not be my former editor and the guy who probably said to me one magical day in 2009, “Hey, Mike Reiss does one of these, you should, too.” But it’s clear Dave speaks for all of Celtics nation with his desire to resurrect the ‘bag.
You’ve waited long enough. It’s been 1,482 days since the last time we pried open the bag to find it brimming with messages about the potential of rookie R.J. Hunter and the frontcourt fit of veteran David Lee.
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We tear open the ‘bag today and, as the dust scatters, we find the hottest topics are still a rookie (Grant Williams) and an uncertain big-man rotation. Yes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Where does Grant Williams finish in the Rookie of the Year voting? Figure it’s wide open if Zion Williamson misses 30+ games but also that Grant's numbers won’t be as impressive as his overall impact. — @ian_w_b
Looking back at recent Rookie of the Year balloting, players that average less than double figures in scoring have rarely landed in the top 5 (Willy Hernangomez a rare outlier in that underwhelming 2016-17 season when Joel Embiid finished third despite playing only 31 games). Even if Williams emerges as a key rotation player for Boston, he isn’t going to muscle his way into the conversation with high-scoring options like R.J. Barrett, Ja Morant, and Coby White. Heck, Miami might slot two players ahead of Williams in Tyler Herro and undrafted Kendrick Nunn if they put up big numbers. In much the same way that Marcus Smart’s overall impact isn’t likely to help him muscle past someone like Lou Williams in Sixth Man voting, Williams’ value among rookies will be greater than his ROY voting total.
We're seeing some meaningful minutes for the rookies, Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards in particular. Will we see them as rotational players this season? — @NeilPlotnick
Williams hasn’t been perfect but his ability to jump in and not look like a rookie while being tasked with defending NBA bigs in small-ball lineups has been encouraging. If the Celtics can lean on those small-ball lineups, it allows Brad Stevens to keep more of his most impactful talent on the court for longer stretches. Williams’ net rating is plus-18.6 through 48 minutes of floor time — the best number on the team for anyone with more than six minutes played (and the team is minus-1.4 in the 96 minutes Williams has been off the court). It’s a small sample but only confirms the notion that good things simply happen when Williams is on the floor. Edwards’ playing time might be a bit more fluid but the fact that he got 22 minutes in New York despite not shooting the ball well speaks to how Stevens values his defensive tenacity and the mere fact that teams have to account for him, offensively, when he’s out there.
Why can’t Jayson Tatum finish around the rim? — @FrankieBucco
It’s not that Tatum can’t finish around the rim — he shot 65.4 percent inside of 3 feet his first two years in the NBA — it’s that he’s simply hasn’t converted early this season. Chalk some of it up to the length and rim protection that teams like Philadelphia and Toronto possess but the guess here is that Tatum’s percentages will stabilize sooner than later. The more encouraging aspect is just how often he’s driving at the basket now instead of settling. The one concern from this view is that Tatum needs to get better at learning how to draw contact on those drives and get to the free-throw line more consistently. He’s averaging only 4 attempts per game at the stripe and that number could spike if he learns to attract more whistles on his way to the hoop.
Yay, glad the mailbag back! I'm sure Danny Ainge would never hint at it but how likely is it that the Celtics will do one considerable in-season trade to beef up the frontcourt? — @RMotti
I think the Celtics, as a whole, have been pretty open about the uncertain nature of this frontcourt. So much of Boston’s potential maneuvering will hinge on where it stands in the East and what’s available closer to the deadline. If Boston feels like it’s one piece away in February, maybe getting a defensive-minded big becomes a priority knowing that the East goes through teams like Philadelphia and Milwaukee. The other question is what sort of progress do we see from Boston’s younger bigs? We remain particularly bullish on the notion that Robert Williams, with more defensive discipline, can emerge as an ideal complementary piece for Boston’s core.
By the playoffs, who do you think will earn the most minutes at center? Grant Williams, Timelord, Tacko Fall, Daniel Theis, or Enes Kanter. — @Spitfire_988
Barring a roster move — and an expedited development — Fall won’t be playoff eligible as a 2-way player. It’s hard to project exactly how the big-man rotation will look by April and in-season maneuvering could change everything. But we’d simply note that, for the long-term success of the team, it would be important that both the Williamses are holding down key rotation roles by the end of the season.
LIGHTNING ROUND!
Why am I so giddy that the Brooklyn Nets are already having Kyrie Irving problems? — @ChefdDds89
That some Celtics fans would experience schadenfreude — whether that’s simply the Nets losing games, or dealing with Irving’s personality -- is not totally unexpected. In the same way that Celtics fans should miss the extraordinary talent that Irving displayed on the court, we understand why they won’t miss the headaches that were part of the package. While the feelings are still raw from the summer split and all those emotions will bubble again around the Thanksgiving matchups between the two teams, Celtics fans should eventually be able to put all their energy into this year’s team and not worry about those that have moved on.
How many games would a team consisting of three Marcus Smarts and two Grant Williamses win? — @JLK7299
I’m worried about the offense but I’m also not convinced the opposing team would generate a single basket without being whistled for an offensive foul. So let’s say 82.
Tell me the truth, after watching Grant Williams play I’m convinced Marcus Smart cloned himself. Am I right? — @angelasearles94
The unbridled joy on Smart’s face when he watches either Kemba Walker and Williams take a charge is akin to a child on Christmas morning. I think Smart is quite content with the Celtics’ additions this offseason.
Is Tacko Fall a show or have real potential? I love seeing him play but I don’t know if he has the tools to be a factor. — @fnloudon
What jumped out in his debut against New York was just how much progress he’s made just since the summer. There’s still a long road ahead to shaping him into a consistent NBA contributor, but man — it’s fun to watch that development.
Do you think Jaylen Brown should keep the beard and short cut, or go back to his 2018 look? — @ShamusMc1
I won’t lie, I miss the hightop. But I also get that you gotta mix it up a bit, keep people guessing. Also, when Brown was at the podium the other night after the Toronto game, I couldn’t stop wondering how long it had been since he wore a hat. High hair makes you a visor guy in a hurry.
You were the first Celtics writer I followed and I used to love the mailbag. — @gino_garnett
Flattery will 100 percent get you into the mailbag.
How many Zenni Optical glasses do you own? — @Runreid22
Eighteen. And I usually wear them while eating my meals at Chipotle. Not that I’m looking for freebies from either company. That would be shameless.
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