Boston Celtics: Is Tacko Fall a good/bad flyer to take?

The Boston Celtics signed Tacko Fall to a two-way contract following his performances in summer league and preseason, but is he worth it?

With one game left of the preseason, the Boston Celtics announced they had signed Tacko Fall to a two-way contract, converting Max Strus to a partially guaranteed contract to enable this to happen.

Strus was waived shortly after, with Javonte Green eventually being named as the player to win the final roster spot.

Fans will be gratified that the new fan favorite will be in and around Boston this year, but is he ever going to earn more than a two-way? is he going to improve enough to crack the rotation long term?

Tacko is a 7’6” undrafted center out of UCF. That means teams valued 60 other rookies higher than him, yet he finds himself on a deal which enables him to be part of the Celtics for a maximum of 45 days this season.

Projecting his eventual ceiling is an exercise in futility, as there are so many variables that need to be considered, such as will he develop a reliable shot? Can he possibly become a genuine force in the paint?

During college, Tacko averaged 10.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game over four years, solid numbers overall. These numbers lend themselves to the notion that maybe Fall can improve into a player capable of cracking an NBA rotation, either in Boston or elsewhere in the future.

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He may look slight of build due to his length, but weighing over 300 pounds, he will undoubtedly carry some strength.

However, a key negative which can hurt Tacko’s ability to get onto the floor is how guards will lob him the ball as a “get out of jail free card” when being hounded by defenses. This may not sound like an issue, but it will kill the flow of a team’s offense and drive coaches crazy.

Eventually, teams will wise up to this and plan accordingly. So what happens when a high pass into the paint becomes less of an option? Can Fall work defenders and establish a dominant position on the low block?

When faced with NBA level competition Fall failed to assert his dominance. During Summer League play, Real GM had him averaging  7 points, 4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game over five games. He averaged 12.6 minutes per game here.

In the preseason, he averaged 3.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game over four games.

You would expect his box scored to decrease as the competition gets harder, but it’s shocking how poorly he controlled the glass. At his size and length, rebounding should be the one skill to persevere against increased competition.

It is true, he screened very well and used his body to box out and enable his teammates to grab boards. However, the great rebounders have a selfish streak in them, insatiable hunger for boards that cannot be quenched. Tacko needs to develop this.

Danny Ainge and the coaching staff have seen some raw potential there though, as Tacko has fought his way from undrafted rookie to an exhibit 10 contract and finally onto his current two-way deal.

That should speak volumes for his character, which is an aspect of a player that goes under the radar. Tacko seems to be a genuine “glue guy” in the making, beloved by all of his teammates so soon after joining.

But being a nice guy doesn’t win basketball games, quite the contrary.

Taking a flyer on a 7’6” big man is never a bad choice in a league of giants, especially when the player he is replacing is a shooter on a heavily stacked team of snipers.

The onus is on Tacko to improve within the Celtics system now, to develop that nasty streak on the backboards and learn how to use that body to his advantage against higher caliber players.

Keep an eye on him in Maine with the G League team and when he is in Boston, he will see some floor time in the NBA this season for sure, but it’s up to him how much time though. As a true big man in every sense of the word, taking a flyer on him makes perfect sense.

This is a good move by the front office, allowing them to develop Tacko within their system and possibly have a true big schooled in the Celtics style. This is a no-lose situation for Boston, one which fans will be curious to watch play out in the coming months and hopefully years.