So it looks like the Boston Celtics are going to move on from Nikola Vucevic this offseason, as they should. He struggled greatly during his time in Boston, and it became clear he just wasn't a good fit.
But his seemingly inevitable departure raises some important questions the Celtics need to answer: Who's their stretch big going to be? They live and die by the three under Joe Mazzulla, so are they going to find Vucevic's replacement (just writing that made me feel nauseous), or are they maybe finally going to change their offensive philosophy?
Only time will tell what the Celtics end up doing, but this could end up being a bigger story than many are realizing.
The Celtics should still have a dependable stretch big
With Neemias Queta as their starting center last season, the Celtics lost a big part of their offensive dynamic after Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford departed last summer. There's a lot to like about Queta, but he isn't a floor-spacer. At all. He shot 1-for-8 from deep last season, and even that is technically a career high (he had been 0-for-3 on three-point field goal attempts before).
This summer, the Celtics are likely going to look for an upgrade at center and move the Portuguese native back to the bench. But it remains to be seen if they're going to focus on getting a stretch big to keep their system alive (i.e., Myles Turner, a reunion with Porzingis/Horford, etc.) or go in a completely different direction (like reuniting with Robert Williams III and having a rim-runner at center).
Regardless of what Boston ends up doing, it still needs to make sure it has a dependable stretch big somewhere on the roster to add some versatility to its offense.
Boston doesn't have a ton of options at stretch big
Unfortunately for the Celtics, they don't have great options if they're looking to acquire a center who can space the floor and actually provide value.
Porzingis is somewhat of an option, but according to The Stein Line's Jake Fischer, the Golden State Warriors have interest in bringing him back. Vucevic obviously isn't an option anymore. And trading for Turner and his insane contract would be too expensive.
Maybe the Celtics will just prioritize developing Luka Garza, who shot a career-high 43.3% from deep in his first season with the team? Or maybe they try to sign someone like Zach Collins (a career 33.4% from deep - not great, not awful), Kevin Love (career 36.9% shooter from three but is so far past his prime it's kind of sad), or even Sandro Mamukelashvili, who has a $2.8 million player option but would likely be too expensive for Boston anyway, assuming he opts out and tests the market.
The Celtics also don't have a ton of great options with pick No. 27 in the draft, except for someone like Houston's Chris Cenac Jr.
Is getting one reliable stretch big going to be the ultimate needle-mover for Boston? No, but it would help. And hopefully for them, they can figure it out as soon as possible.
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