Boston Celtics: The case for Brad Wanamaker

Rookie Brad Wanamaker is finally getting his shot in the NBA after finding success overseas. Now, with the Boston Celtics’ midseason struggles, they may need to rely on him for more playing time and a consistent role to help pull out of this rut.

It is getting clearer by the day: Terry Rozier and the Boston Celtics do not complement each other anymore. It is in the best interest of both Rozier and the team to move in separate directions, and fast. For Rozier, who is in the midst of his first contract season, the burden has been placed back upon his shoulders to prove that not only is he a starter quality player in the NBA, but a rotational figure at that.

He just will not get that done in Boston. There are too many cooks in the kitchen, too many mouths to feed on offense. An athletic, score-first, dribble-around point guard who relies too often on a so-so mid-range game is not the optimal playmaker for this Boston Celtics second unit.

In comes Brad Wanamaker. The 29-year-old rookie is getting his first real shot in the league, and has looked the part of a capable NBA player in his limited time on the floor.

He is a hand-in-glove fit with what the Celtics need from their backup guards. In just 19 games so far this season, Wanamaker has shot 45.5 percent from deep. It’s a small sample size, sure, with only 1.2 attempts per game, but judging from his shooting form and willingness to let it fly in his time on the court, this guy is a shooter.

He’s big too. At 6’4″, Wanamaker has great size for his position. He is primarily a point guard, but with his shooting prowess and size, he has no problem sharing the court with smaller ball-handlers.

Defensively, he’s the ideal guy to have out there, especially if he’s sharing the court with someone like Marcus Smart for the lion’s share of his playing time. Coming into the league as an older rookie, Wanamaker knows that he has to be an impact player on both sides of the ball to stick around and carve out a productive career with multiple seasons under his belt.

With 6’8″ wingspan, Wanamaker has the capabilities to be a nightmare for opposing guards, especially smaller, less talented backups he would be facing off against. His size allows him to switch around and realistically guard backcourt players and most wings that other team’s second units will throw at him.

Especially if Jaylen Brown moves back into the starting lineup, the Celtics’ second unit will be comprised of big, capable shooters at every position (depending on if you count Aron Baynes‘ willingness to let it fly from the corner as “capable shooting”) that hang their hats on defense.

With Gordon Hayward calling the shots for that unit, in almost a more advanced G league rehab role, there is no reason that the Celtics’ reserves could not outplay most teams’ backups this season.

Jan. 14’s game against the Brooklyn Nets is an excellent example of how Wanamaker can positively impact the game. In a game that felt like the Celtics got thoroughly dismantled in every facet of play, Wanamaker was an integral part of the fourth quarter comeback that fell short.

Wanamaker was a +11 in his 26 minutes of play — impressive considering the Celtics fell into a double-digit hole for a huge portion of the game.

For comparison, Jayson Tatum, the second-best player on the court after D’angelo Russell’s spectacular game, was -13. He and Jaylen Brown stepped up and did what they were supposed to do, combining for 56 points on the night.

However, they were only two of three Celtics to score in double figures, with the other being Brad Wanamaker. He stretched the floor, canning three shots from beyond the arc and adding four assists and two steals to boot.

He proved that he can be a useful player that the Celtics can deploy in consistent action in that game. Without him, they would not have had a chance.

The Celtics cannot afford more sloppy, inconsistent play moving forward. They need to battle the elites in the East for seeding, and nobody wants to play four games in Milwaukee, Toronto or Philadelphia this postseason. Rozier is great, and it is so easy to root for the guy. He’s a talented player with a bright future in this league, but his struggles may have forced the Celtics to find an alternative answer to the backup point guard situation.

Moving forward, Brad Wanamaker should be getting looks off the bench before Terry Rozier.