On day three of free agency in the NBA, I think that most realistic Celtics fans (granted that's an oxymoron) like myself have come to accept that they have absolutely no intention of making any big moves this summer. Instead, it's all about freeing up money for next offseason where they can hopefully take a run at Jayson Tatum's best friend Bradley Beal among other available stars. Sigh. Until then, last time that I checked they still have a season to play in 2021-2022 so at least the C's threw us a little bit of a bone this afternoon as Brad Stevens & Co. reportedly agreed to a one-year contract for $2.7 million (the veteran's minimum for a guy that's played 10+ seasons in the league) with center Enes Kanter.
You might remember him from his brief time in Boston two seasons ago before he spent last season with Portland (for the second time in his NBA career). Kanter is from Turkey and his feud with his homeland's crooked government has resulted in numerous death threats to both him and some of his family members but you have to respect that unlike most people these days, he's not afraid to stand up for what he believes in. In fact, he got barred from traveling to Canada (so no road games against the Raptors) but that didn't stop him from doing stuff like going to a Black Lives Matter rally in Boston when he was with the C's. Many other famous people should take note of how he rightly uses his platform as a professional athlete to speak out against the numerous injustices in the world.
On the court, Kanter fills an obvious void for a team that lacks size and not surprisingly often struggles to rebound as a result. Even though he is 29-years-old and a journeyman (this is the 5th different NBA team that he's played for), Kanter is one of the best rebounders in the league. Last season with the Blazers, he averaged 11.2 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game-tied for the most in his career and the fourth time that he's averaged double-digit boards and double-digit points in the same season. For his career, he's averaged 11.5 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game while shooting 54.8% from the field and 77.6% on free throws. It is a little surprising that he wanted to come back here since Boston in 2019-20 was one of the worst seasons in his NBA life: 8.1 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game in just 16.9 minutes per game. The only two worse years were his first two in the league with Utah when he was 19 and 20-years-old so he obviously gets a pass for that.
You would figure that Robert Williams will be the starting center for the Celts next season but all he's proven in the NBA is that he gets hurt all the time between his flashes of brilliance. With Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic missing most of last season with injuries, Kanter ended up playing way more in his Portland return than probably he or the team had expected him to. He proved during that time that he can still be a starter in spurts as he used to be with Utah, Oklahoma City and New York. He even set a career-high with a 30-rebound performance (12 offensive and 18 defensive boards!) on April 10 in a win against the Pistons. Follow him on social media and you will soon discover that Kanter is one of the most likable people in all of sports; that might not mean much for Boston's win-loss record next season but at least he will make things a little more fun as the C's try to get back on the right track.
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