Boston Celtics: 5 Players To Consider For Final Roster Spot

1.) Reggie Evans

Reggie Evans is the last name you’d associate “versatility” or “shooting” with, but nonetheless, he has been linked to the Celtics in recent days.

Evans, now 35 years old, would be playing in his 14th NBA season if he were to be signed this year. For a one-trick pony, it’s remarkable that Evans’ career has spanned as long as it has, but he’s one of the best rebounders to ever play the game, and his longevity in this league really speaks to just how good he is at crashing the boards.

Throughout his 14-year career, Evans has never averaged more than 4.3 shots per game. He has never averaged more than 0.2 blocks per game. He is a career 52.8 percent free throw shooter. But, even playing an average of 19.3 minutes per game, Evans’ career rebounding number is a whopping 7.1 per game.

Translated to 36 minutes, the big man would be pulling down 13.2 rebounds per game, standing at just 6-foot-8.

The Celtics average the eighth-most rebounds per game, but that stat isn’t pace-adjusted, and Boston is actually out-boarded by its opponents by an average of 1.1 per game, giving them the 11th-worst rebounding differential in the NBA.

For a team that thrives on getting stops, making quick outlet passes, and scoring in transition, the importance of securing loose balls after misses cannot be understated. Evans, of course, would help the Cs in that respect.

Even if the 35-year-old Evans wouldn’t be a major factor in the lineup, he has built a career on hard work and toughness, the very two qualities that help separate this young Boston team from the crowd. A journeyman, Evans has donned seven different uniforms throughout his tenure, and has absorbed the philosophies of 14 different groups of players.

Ironically, the best fit of his career may come more than a decade in, at the ripe age of 35.