Getty Kevin Garnett #5 of the Boston Celtics reacts.
Boston Celtics legends Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce made an appearance on the show “Certified Smoke” to preview the upcoming Celtics season, along with former NBA players and Golden State Warriors teammates Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. While talking about various topics, including how the team would respond to the Ime Udoka suspension, Garnett brought up his concerns with their depth.
“I’m telling you, one of my biggest issues with Boston is depth, so if Marcus (Smart) has to come off the bench, I’m not mad at that,” Garnett said. “They need more depth off the bench. They need more players.”
When Jackson brought up that Dwight Howard and DeMarcus Cousins were still available, Garnett couldn’t believe that Cousins specifically was still a free agent.
“Right, that’s crazy! Word, that’s real, though! How is Cousins still at the crib? Hell no! Damn, I didn’t even think of that. Did (Carmelo) get signed yet? I heard (Carmelo) coming to (Boston).”
Garnett also didn’t know that Danilo Gallinari suffered another leg injury.
Celtics Not Signing ‘Big-Name Veteran Center’
When Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney originally reported on September 20 that Robert Williams III would miss time due to arthroscopic surgery on his knee, many believed that would pave the way for the Celtics to sign one of the more high-profile bigs still on the free agent market like Howard, Cousins, or LaMarcus Aldridge.
Jay King of The Athletic later squashed that when he reported that the team was not planning to add anyone who fit that label.
Despite Robert Williams’s knee procedure, I was told the Celtics are not planning to sign one of the big-name veteran centers still available. Expect them to replace the recently waived Bruno Caboclo with another young big man to compete for a spot in training camp.
So, for the time being, the Celtics frontcourt consists of Williams, Al Horford, Grant Williams, Luke Kornet, Mfiondu Kabengele, Noah Vonleh, and Luka Samanic. This could change over time if it’s clear the Celtics’ frontcourt cannot withstand the absence of Williams, but the Celtics are clearly willing to cross that bridge when they come to it.
Since those players still remain on the market, it’s clear that there’s not much interest in them league-wide.
Luke Kornet Seen Practicing With Celtics’ Starters
With Williams now reportedly out eight-to-12 weeks while recovering from his surgery, one of the biggest questions the Celtics have going into the season is who will take his place while he’s gone.
On the first day of training camp, it appears the Celtics may have their fifth starter picked out – Luke Kornet. In a video tweeted by Chris Forsberg, Kornet was seen doing reps with the other four Celtics starters, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Al Horford.
Luke with the green squad 👀
By going this route, the Celtics clearly want to keep their two-big lineup going even with Williams out for the time being. Kornet is entering his third season with the Celtics, but this is the first time in those three seasons he’s starting the season with the Celtics.
The last two years, Kornet has been a late-season addition to the team. He’s played 30 combined games for the Celtics. In those games, he’s averaged 3.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists, according to StatMuse.
This could very well be an experiment more than anything else. After all, Juancho Hernangomez started in the Celtics’ first preseason game, and that certainly didn’t go anywhere. Kornet is not the most proven player, but it’s clear that the Celtics trust him.