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The Boston Celtics seem to be on the road toward yet another deep postseason run, as they currently find themselves up 2-0 in their best-of-seven quarterfinals matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. However, even with their commanding lead, dominating play, and legitimate title-contender status, there are still areas in which this club could stand to bolster.
In an April 20 piece by Bleacher Report, writer Zach Buckley discussed a few holes the shamrocks should look to fill this coming offseason and, when it comes to their wing depth and long-range game, he suggested Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter Yuta Watanabe could be an ideal, low-cost target worth pursuing.
“So, beyond keeping Williams (at a reasonable price), the Shamrocks’ top offseason priority should be finding perimeter players with decent-or-better size. The 6’9″ Yuta Watanabe looks like a clean fit. He plays with force and boundless energy. He can switch on to three different positions on defense—or more in the right matchup. He has some off-the-dribble elements to his game and just shot 40-plus percent from three for the second time in three seasons,” Buckley wrote.
Now in his fifth season in the association, Yuta Watanabe finds himself suiting up for Celtics divisional rival, the Brooklyn Nets.
Through 58 regular season games played, the wing has established himself as a quality two-way reserve option for the Eastern Conference’s sixth-seed, boasting averages of 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc along the way.
While his usage with the Nets has proven to be rather lacking, Buckley would go on to note in his case for the Celtics to pursue Watanabe that “if he can add volume to his outside shot without sacrificing efficiency, he could carve out a bigger role than expected” if he ended up in Boston.
Celtics Linked to Jalen McDaniels as Free Agency Option
If the Celtics wish to go in more of a versatile and explosive direction when trying to fill out their wing depth, Zach Buckley also believes another divisional rival of Boston’s in the Philadelphia 76ers could have an option for them, as he listed Jalen McDaniels as a potential “extra prudent” option.
“If McDaniels had a better three-ball (career 34.5 percent on low volume), he’d probably fall outside of Boston’s price range. Since he doesn’t, the Celtics might be able to afford him knowing he’s a versatile defender who has improved his decision-making and added some off-the-dribble options to his offensive menu. And if he finds his form from three—he shot 38 percent last season and 40 percent after this season’s deadline deal to Philly—he could be a sneaky-good steal,” Buckley wrote.
Acquired by the Sixers midway through the regular season, McDaniels is averaging 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game while shooting 48.8% from the field and 40% from three-point range and has served as a legitimate factor in the club’s current 2-0 series lead over the Brooklyn Nets.
Derrick White Encourages Celtics to Keep Improving
Though the Celtics hold the 2-0 series lead over the Atlanta Hawks in this year’s first round of the postseason, Derrick White understands that this is not a reason for the club to get complacent.
Following Boston’s Game 2 win on Tuesday evening, the veteran guard stated during his post-game media session that the team must start to prepare for games with a different mentality now that they’re hitting the road to square off in Atlanta.
“We did what we were supposed to do. [We] held [home court advantage] and now we got the real challenge of the playoffs which is winning on the road,” Derrick White said. “I know they’re going to play better at home and we’re going to have to step up our level of play.”
Derrick White paved the way during the latest Celtics win, as he finished Game 2 with a stellar all-around stat line of 26 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, and a steal while shooting 68.8% from the floor and 40.0% from deep.
Thus far into the postseason, he is boasting averages of 25.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and a whopping 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 62.1% from the field and 50.0% from deep.
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