Boston Celtics: Grading every player from the 2019-20 season

Enes Kanter’s grade: D

Enes Kanter may have just entered the NBA just a couple of seasons late to become a dominant big. But in a small-ball league, Kanter has had difficulties finding ways to contribute. Brad Stevens had the same dilemma this season when the Boston Celtics added the big man for $5 million. The Celtics needed some center depth last offseason, and with a weak market, Kanter was the best option. He is a great rebounder and one of the best inside scoring bigs in the NBA. But his defensive deficiencies mitigate his offensive production.

For the Celtics, they mostly needed interior defense from their center, making Kanter particularly hard to get involved. He only played 16.9 minutes per game, scoring his career-low since his sophomore season. Most of his minutes came when their other two centers, Daniel Theis and Robert Williams, were hurt, but sometimes when the Celtics needed someone to get their offense going, they went to Kanter. He also did have 7.4 rebounds per game, easing another one of the Celtics’ weaknesses.

In the playoffs, especially with Walker hurt and struggling, Kanter’s interior scoring propelled the Celtics to a few wins. Stevens was also able to hide Kanter’s defense, allowing him to lead the team with a 16.9 net rating in the playoffs.

Kanter has another $5 million left on the table if he opts into his player option with the Celtics, which with many salary cap questions still unanswered, might be his best financial choice. On the other hand, depending on what Kanter values, he may not have guaranteed playing time. Additionally, the Celtics’ younger big men continue to progress, and the probability that Ainge uses Kanter as trade bait does raise some questions about whether he will opt-in or not.

If he does decide to resign, Kanter has become a very vocal leader of the team, having one of the best attitudes in basketball. He also does his role – such as it is – well. So he does provide the Celtics something.