Boston Celtics: Jabari Bird deserves an NBA roster spot
Jabari Bird is a restricted free agent, but he fared well in NBA Summer League with the Boston Celtics and proved himself worthy of an NBA roster spot.
Jabari Bird played very well in the 2018 NBA Summer League and turned some heads in the process. Bird was a second round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and played well when he was given the opportunity.
Bird appeared 13 games for the Boston Celtics last year and even started in one of those. He averaged 8.8 minutes per game and in that span, posting 3.0 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 15-for-26 from the field (57.7 percent). He also made three of his seven 3-pointers.
Despite not faring particularly well in the NBA, the former Golden Bear has performed well in the G League and in the Summer League. In the G League, he’s seen great success, averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
However, Bird is a restricted free agent and has yet to find himself back with the Celtics or any NBA team yet. There should be teams with interest in the guard, however, so whether it’s with the Celtics or any other team, Bird should see himself on an NBA roster at some point.
In Summer League, he’s been given the opportunity to play and he’s rewarded himself by performing well, including a couple highlight dunks.
https://twitter.com/StoolGreenie/status/1015796628534378497
Dunks like these are big energy boosts for not only the player, but the crowd and the team. A player can dunk all he wants, but it’s important he can provide the team with something else. In Jabari Birds’ case, he’s provided the team with all-around play.
Bird has been a good two-way player thus far in Summer League. In four games, he’s averaged16.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals in 29.8 minutes per game.
His high scoring average is a major plus, especially when you consider that the Celtics aren’t as good on the offensive end. That was apparent when Kyrie Irving scored about 24 points per game and the next closest player was 10 points away.
Bird’s shooting percentages were good as well. He shot 57.1 percent from the field and for a player who plays the guard position, that’s a really high percentage. We know he can shoot from distance as well – a must in today’s game.
He also contributed by grabbing rebounds and getting his teammates involved. Not only that, but averaging almost two steals a game is also something to take note of.
In the four games he played, the game against the Denver Nuggets was arguably his best performance as he scored 24 points and added three rebounds. In this game, he added highlight dunks and great finishes at the rim — an area where he scores the majority of his points.
Bird is a player who will give you 110 percent and never quit, and that’s something that’s more than worthy of an NBA roster spot. If the Celtics do in fact lose Marcus Smart, then gaining Bird wouldn’t be a bad backup plan.
Hearing this morning that the Celtics are likely to hold on to the Non-Taxpayer MLE for now and see what develops in-season. Re-signing Marcus Smart and Jabari Bird remain the priorities for now, then filling out the roster for training camp.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 13, 2018
A few days back, Keith Smith noted that bringing back Bird remains a priority for the Celtics. Should they actually do so, they will be rewarded with hard work and tough play whenever he takes the court.
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Jabari Bird won’t cost that much because he’s yet to prove himself at the next level, which means that the Celtics could find themselves in a low-risk, high-reward situation.