Getty Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
As the Boston Celtics continue their Summer League exploits, Brad Stevens and the front office will be scouring the globe for a potential big man addition to shore up their center rotation.
You see, after trading away Daniel Theis as part of the Malcolm Brogdon deal, Boston’s center rotation is looking rather limited. As such, we can expect the Celtics to explore their options, and potentially bring in another big to add competition for Luke Kornet off the bench.
According to a report by Aris Barkas of EuroHoops.Net, Boston is among a small list of NBA teams that are planning to host a workout for Israeli MVP Chinanu Onuaku, who has previously played in the NBA between 2016 and 2018 for the Houston Rockets.
According to this report, Boston will be among a group of NBA teams to host a workout for Chinanu Onuaku.
Onuaku last played in the NBA during the 2017-18 season, before heading over to Europe, where this past season, he won the Israeli League MVP.
“After a number of NBA workouts and with Panathinaikos already interested in him, Onuaku will work out during the Las Vegas Summer League on the 13th of July on the UNLV campus and among others, the Raptors, the Clippers, the Celtics, the Cavs, the Mavs, and the Lakers are expected to be in attendance,” Barkas reported on July 9.
Onuaku is a Maryland native, who has been playing his basketball on the international scene for the past two seasons, spending time with Zadar and Beni Herzeliya respectively. The well-traveled big man has also spent time in the G-League with the Louisville Cardinals, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and Greensboro Swarn.
Can Onuaku Provide Boston With Legitimate Depth
This past season, Onuaku averaged 15.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting 50.3% from the field and 30.2% from deep. Those numbers are enough to get anybody excited about potentially adding Onuaku to Boston’s center rotation.
However, it’s worth remembering that the Israeli league is not one of the premier competitions in Europe, and sits behind the Spanish league, Turkish league, Serbian league, and Italian league, among others – so while those numbers are impressive, contextualizing the talent level Onuaku faced is important.
It’s also worth noting that draft-and-stash point guard Yam Madar, opted to take his talents to the Serbian league last season, as he looked to compete against an increased talent level after dominating the Israeli league.
Still, at six-foot-10, Onuaku can provide some size and steel to Boston’s big man rotation, although we should expect them to be judicial with who they sign, as they look to cement a rotation capable of helping Boston back to the NBA Finals next season.
Celtics Could Look for Proven Talent
While Onuaku has impressed during his time in Europe, he isn’t a proven commodity at the NBA level, and if Boston were to go down the developmental route, Mfiondu Kabengele and Trevion Williams are probably better situated for a potential contract offer.
Furthermore, there are still some talented big men available on the free-agent market, with DeMarcus Cousins and Dwight Howard headlining the remaining free-agent centers.
The Celtics also have multiple trade exceptions at their disposal, including a $17.2 million exception that is due to expire on July 18, so there is also a chance that Brad Stevens heads back into the trade market to find an impactful big man to come off the bench next season.
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