Celtics Signing Enes Kanter After Al Horford Departure
By James.r
After losing Al Horford to the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday night, the Boston Celtics had a big hole in their frontcourt. Luckily, it didn't take them too long to find a replacement for the veteran big man.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Celtics are signing center Enes Kanter to a two-year contract.
Enes Kanter is signing a two-year, $10M deal with the Celtics, with a second-year player option, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2019
There's no doubt that Kanter is a significant downgrade from Horford, but he's a solid addition that will keep some consistency at the position for Boston. He's a smart and fiery big man who is a talented scorer in the paint and has steadily improved on his rebounding since joining the league in 2011.
In 67 games last season, Kanter averaged 13.7 points and 9.8 rebounds in just 24.8 minutes. While he's a more traditional center than some organizations currently prefer, those numbers still add value to a team's frontcourt. Perhaps most significantly, he was fifth in the NBA in offensive rebounds last season, and if he continues that trend it will mean a lot of second-chance opportunities for the Celtics' offense.
2019-20 Boston Celtics hypothetical starting lineup:
— Sam Murray (@smurray1212) July 1, 2019
Kemba Walker - 2011 #9 Pick
Jaylen Brown - 2016 #3 Pick
Jayson Tatum - 2017 #3 Pick
Gordon Hayward - 2010 #9 Pick
Enes Kanter - 2011 #3 Pick
Danny Ainge must have a fascination with 9 and its square root of 3.
After a disappointing finish to the season for the Celtics, they still have a very talented roster. After adding Kemba Walker, Kanter and four new draft picks to the team, the Celtics should have an entirely new culture with the potential to compete for an Eastern Conference title.