C’s sign Wenyen Gabriel

[Who]

I am happy enough to get Gabriel, I don't see him as much better than Kornet though.  More of a PF than C so positionally a good fit, but still 3rd string, end of bench guy.  Nothing wrong with that, need 3rd string end of bench guys too.

But I don't get the excitement about Biyombo,  He shot 37% FT% last season, yes that is free throws.  He is a career 53%.  If you tell me you want Biyombo over Kornet, I guess, maybe, but I don't see him anywhere but end of the bench.  I think Gabriel (PF) and Kornet (C) for the end of the bench is fine.  Then work on getting a better big with the TPE sometime along the way.

I think Gabriel played most of his minutes last year as a center.

I'll even go a step further and say that [if he makes the roster] he was brought in to exclusively play Center. There are very few scenarios I can imagine where he would be out there as a PF. Like, maybe garbage time with Kornet or something.

He’s pretty slight for a center. ESPN has him listed at 6’9”/205lb, Forward.

I'm not saying he's Shaq, but the dude is jacked - definitely more than 205lbs. That's actually funny. Take a look at this video by Tomasz Kordylewski (he always has the best highlight videos imo). Everything about this guy screams Center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkxiTgwW1cM

I've been watching him since he was with the Kings.  Fans are gonna love his hustle.

At times he'll be in the undersized center roll that Grant Williams occasionally played.

But I could see him paired up with Porzingis at times.

All I know of him are these highlights but he seems to move really well for someone his size. Obvisouyl he doesn't shoot like Grant but I wonder if he'll get some of those Grant defensive assignments like Giannis (in lesser minutes).

He certainly looks like an NBA player.  I wonder why he could only get a camp invite,

Cause he is an athlete. Not a basketball player.

An undersized one at that.

[celticinorlando]

so, maybe we should have a poll? who gets more minutes over the season - kornet or gabriel?

I would rather have a traffic cone out there than Kornet.

[liam]

I'm not saying he's Shaq, but the dude is jacked - definitely more than 205lbs. That's actually funny. Take a look at this video by Tomasz Kordylewski (he always has the best highlight videos imo). Everything about this guy screams Center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkxiTgwW1cM

Finally got a chance to watch the highlights.  He looks great.  His timing on the court is excellent.  His timing to release from his man and double was excellent, and he has the quickness to get there.  I felt his defense was right there with RWill.  His passing was surprisingly good, very quick decisions, sometimes even touch passes with purpose, again, very reminiscent of RWill.  His scoring was mostly dunks but he did hit a couple of 3s, kind of end of the shot clock forced shots, but his stroke was better than Rob's. 

I don't know if you want to call him a center or a PF but if he is on the court with Porzingis, Porzingis will cover the biggest opposing player (the center), same with Horford, same with Kornet.  Gabriel will cover the more athletic of the bigs.  His style of play, defense and rebounding, is more like a center I guess, which is fine on this team as our primary bigs, Porzingis and Horford, are more offensive minded.

I am going to make the classic mistake of getting my hopes up on Gabriel based on a highlight reel.  I think he can play in the primary rotation.  He won't need to do all that much on this team to be an effective complementary player, just defend, rebound, and finish when you get the chance.  Plus make your FTs (62% career).

He barely played for the Lakers in the playoffs last season so they clearly did not view him as playoff rotation ready.  Plus it appears that they made no effort to bring him back.  So somewhere between Noah Vonleh and Rob Williams is what we can expect from Gabriel.

Gabriel is like a bargain bin TIMELORD. He doesn't have the freakish long arms but he hustles and is a garbage man. I saw Gabriel a lot last year because the Lakers were always on and I thought that he'd make a good hustle big for the Celtics. His energy would've been helpful last year. We added a few guys that play with full on hustle every time they touch the floor. These guys could be good weapons for coach Joe this year.

[cons]

needs a nickame though

timelord was so cool

maybe - digital clock?

nah

watchman?

watchgod?

i dont think "timelord" is replaceable in this department 

[liam]

needs a nickame though

timelord was so cool

maybe - digital clock?

nah

watchman?

watchgod?

i dont think "timelord" is replaceable in this department 

TIMELORD is irreplaceable for sure and if your name is Wenyen Gabriel I don't think you need a nickname.

[gouki88]

so, maybe we should have a poll? who gets more minutes over the season - kornet or gabriel?

I see Gabriel as more of a PF than a C. Horford and Porzingis are modern 5’s, so I’m hoping they get most of their minutes there and that we don’t see much Kornet.

I think he'll probably be 50/50 at both spots. Interested to see whether we persevere with the dual big starting lineup or not

[hwangjini_1]

so, maybe we should have a poll? who gets more minutes over the season - kornet or gabriel?

I see Gabriel as more of a PF than a C. Horford and Porzingis are modern 5’s, so I’m hoping they get most of their minutes there and that we don’t see much Kornet.

given that the celtics do not use the traditional positions (pg/sg/sf/pf/c) and prefer ball handlers/wings/bigs i do not believe the c versus pf distinction you mention is important.

for the celtics, both are bigs.

[hwangjini_1]

I am happy enough to get Gabriel, I don't see him as much better than Kornet though.  More of a PF than C so positionally a good fit, but still 3rd string, end of bench guy.  Nothing wrong with that, need 3rd string end of bench guys too.

But I don't get the excitement about Biyombo,  He shot 37% FT% last season, yes that is free throws.  He is a career 53%.  If you tell me you want Biyombo over Kornet, I guess, maybe, but I don't see him anywhere but end of the bench.  I think Gabriel (PF) and Kornet (C) for the end of the bench is fine.  Then work on getting a better big with the TPE sometime along the way.

I think Gabriel played most of his minutes last year as a center.

I'll even go a step further and say that [if he makes the roster] he was brought in to exclusively play Center. There are very few scenarios I can imagine where he would be out there as a PF. Like, maybe garbage time with Kornet or something.

He’s pretty slight for a center. ESPN has him listed at 6’9”/205lb, Forward.

I'm not saying he's Shaq, but the dude is jacked - definitely more than 205lbs. That's actually funny. Take a look at this video by Tomasz Kordylewski (he always has the best highlight videos imo). Everything about this guy screams Center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkxiTgwW1cM

I've been watching him since he was with the Kings.  Fans are gonna love his hustle.

At times he'll be in the undersized center roll that Grant Williams occasionally played.

But I could see him paired up with Porzingis at times.

All I know of him are these highlights but he seems to move really well for someone his size. Obvisouyl he doesn't shoot like Grant but I wonder if he'll get some of those Grant defensive assignments like Giannis (in lesser minutes).

He certainly looks like an NBA player.  I wonder why he could only get a camp invite,

Cause he is an athlete. Not a basketball player.

An undersized one at that.

if you mean undersized in height for a nba center, then at 6'9" yes. but since in terms of standing reach (which is more important since nba centers do not rebound with the tops of their heads) he may be fine.

gabriel's standing reach is 9'1". average standing reach for an nba pf is 8'10.75", and nba center is 9'2.5". so not terrible at all.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I am happy enough to get Gabriel, I don't see him as much better than Kornet though.  More of a PF than C so positionally a good fit, but still 3rd string, end of bench guy.  Nothing wrong with that, need 3rd string end of bench guys too.

But I don't get the excitement about Biyombo,  He shot 37% FT% last season, yes that is free throws.  He is a career 53%.  If you tell me you want Biyombo over Kornet, I guess, maybe, but I don't see him anywhere but end of the bench.  I think Gabriel (PF) and Kornet (C) for the end of the bench is fine.  Then work on getting a better big with the TPE sometime along the way.

I think Gabriel played most of his minutes last year as a center.

I'll even go a step further and say that [if he makes the roster] he was brought in to exclusively play Center. There are very few scenarios I can imagine where he would be out there as a PF. Like, maybe garbage time with Kornet or something.

He’s pretty slight for a center. ESPN has him listed at 6’9”/205lb, Forward.

I'm not saying he's Shaq, but the dude is jacked - definitely more than 205lbs. That's actually funny. Take a look at this video by Tomasz Kordylewski (he always has the best highlight videos imo). Everything about this guy screams Center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkxiTgwW1cM

I've been watching him since he was with the Kings.  Fans are gonna love his hustle.

At times he'll be in the undersized center roll that Grant Williams occasionally played.

But I could see him paired up with Porzingis at times.

All I know of him are these highlights but he seems to move really well for someone his size. Obvisouyl he doesn't shoot like Grant but I wonder if he'll get some of those Grant defensive assignments like Giannis (in lesser minutes).

He certainly looks like an NBA player.  I wonder why he could only get a camp invite,

Cause he is an athlete. Not a basketball player.

An undersized one at that.

Same thing people use to say about Rob Williams too. Same height and standing reach. Now that we trade him away everyone is like "they traded their size! How are they going to defend Giannis and Embiid."

Always the same thing.

[Silas]

I am happy enough to get Gabriel, I don't see him as much better than Kornet though.  More of a PF than C so positionally a good fit, but still 3rd string, end of bench guy.  Nothing wrong with that, need 3rd string end of bench guys too.

But I don't get the excitement about Biyombo,  He shot 37% FT% last season, yes that is free throws.  He is a career 53%.  If you tell me you want Biyombo over Kornet, I guess, maybe, but I don't see him anywhere but end of the bench.  I think Gabriel (PF) and Kornet (C) for the end of the bench is fine.  Then work on getting a better big with the TPE sometime along the way.

I think Gabriel played most of his minutes last year as a center.

I'll even go a step further and say that [if he makes the roster] he was brought in to exclusively play Center. There are very few scenarios I can imagine where he would be out there as a PF. Like, maybe garbage time with Kornet or something.

He’s pretty slight for a center. ESPN has him listed at 6’9”/205lb, Forward.

I'm not saying he's Shaq, but the dude is jacked - definitely more than 205lbs. That's actually funny. Take a look at this video by Tomasz Kordylewski (he always has the best highlight videos imo). Everything about this guy screams Center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkxiTgwW1cM

I've been watching him since he was with the Kings.  Fans are gonna love his hustle.

At times he'll be in the undersized center roll that Grant Williams occasionally played.

But I could see him paired up with Porzingis at times.

All I know of him are these highlights but he seems to move really well for someone his size. Obvisouyl he doesn't shoot like Grant but I wonder if he'll get some of those Grant defensive assignments like Giannis (in lesser minutes).

He certainly looks like an NBA player.  I wonder why he could only get a camp invite,

Cause he is an athlete. Not a basketball player.

An undersized one at that.

if you mean undersized in height for a nba center, then at 6'9" yes. but since in terms of standing reach (which is more important since nba centers do not rebound with the tops of their heads) he may be fine.

gabriel's standing reach is 9'1". average standing reach for an nba pf is 8'10.75", and nba center is 9'2.5". so not terrible at all.

Thanks for sharing this outstanding information.  Wenyen is a big!

[gouki88]

I am happy enough to get Gabriel, I don't see him as much better than Kornet though.  More of a PF than C so positionally a good fit, but still 3rd string, end of bench guy.  Nothing wrong with that, need 3rd string end of bench guys too.

But I don't get the excitement about Biyombo,  He shot 37% FT% last season, yes that is free throws.  He is a career 53%.  If you tell me you want Biyombo over Kornet, I guess, maybe, but I don't see him anywhere but end of the bench.  I think Gabriel (PF) and Kornet (C) for the end of the bench is fine.  Then work on getting a better big with the TPE sometime along the way.

I think Gabriel played most of his minutes last year as a center.

I'll even go a step further and say that [if he makes the roster] he was brought in to exclusively play Center. There are very few scenarios I can imagine where he would be out there as a PF. Like, maybe garbage time with Kornet or something.

He’s pretty slight for a center. ESPN has him listed at 6’9”/205lb, Forward.

I'm not saying he's Shaq, but the dude is jacked - definitely more than 205lbs. That's actually funny. Take a look at this video by Tomasz Kordylewski (he always has the best highlight videos imo). Everything about this guy screams Center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkxiTgwW1cM

I've been watching him since he was with the Kings.  Fans are gonna love his hustle.

At times he'll be in the undersized center roll that Grant Williams occasionally played.

But I could see him paired up with Porzingis at times.

All I know of him are these highlights but he seems to move really well for someone his size. Obvisouyl he doesn't shoot like Grant but I wonder if he'll get some of those Grant defensive assignments like Giannis (in lesser minutes).

He certainly looks like an NBA player.  I wonder why he could only get a camp invite,

Cause he is an athlete. Not a basketball player.

An undersized one at that.

if you mean undersized in height for a nba center, then at 6'9" yes. but since in terms of standing reach (which is more important since nba centers do not rebound with the tops of their heads) he may be fine.

gabriel's standing reach is 9'1". average standing reach for an nba pf is 8'10.75", and nba center is 9'2.5". so not terrible at all.

He is also very bouncy

[liam]

I am happy enough to get Gabriel, I don't see him as much better than Kornet though.  More of a PF than C so positionally a good fit, but still 3rd string, end of bench guy.  Nothing wrong with that, need 3rd string end of bench guys too.

But I don't get the excitement about Biyombo,  He shot 37% FT% last season, yes that is free throws.  He is a career 53%.  If you tell me you want Biyombo over Kornet, I guess, maybe, but I don't see him anywhere but end of the bench.  I think Gabriel (PF) and Kornet (C) for the end of the bench is fine.  Then work on getting a better big with the TPE sometime along the way.

I think Gabriel played most of his minutes last year as a center.

I'll even go a step further and say that [if he makes the roster] he was brought in to exclusively play Center. There are very few scenarios I can imagine where he would be out there as a PF. Like, maybe garbage time with Kornet or something.

He’s pretty slight for a center. ESPN has him listed at 6’9”/205lb, Forward.

I'm not saying he's Shaq, but the dude is jacked - definitely more than 205lbs. That's actually funny. Take a look at this video by Tomasz Kordylewski (he always has the best highlight videos imo). Everything about this guy screams Center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkxiTgwW1cM

I've been watching him since he was with the Kings.  Fans are gonna love his hustle.

At times he'll be in the undersized center roll that Grant Williams occasionally played.

But I could see him paired up with Porzingis at times.

All I know of him are these highlights but he seems to move really well for someone his size. Obvisouyl he doesn't shoot like Grant but I wonder if he'll get some of those Grant defensive assignments like Giannis (in lesser minutes).

He certainly looks like an NBA player.  I wonder why he could only get a camp invite,

Cause he is an athlete. Not a basketball player.

An undersized one at that.

if you mean undersized in height for a nba center, then at 6'9" yes. but since in terms of standing reach (which is more important since nba centers do not rebound with the tops of their heads) he may be fine.

gabriel's standing reach is 9'1". average standing reach for an nba pf is 8'10.75", and nba center is 9'2.5". so not terrible at all.

Thanks for sharing this outstanding information.  Wenyen is a big!

He mostly played center last year for a good Lakers team. He plays with wreckless abandon!

[liam]

"Always hustling"


https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2023/3/28/23653702/wenyen-gabriel-lakers-los-angeles-anthony-davis-unrestricted-free-agent-darvin-ham

The comments are a very good window into Wenyen as a player.

[Vermont Green]

"Always hustling"


https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2023/3/28/23653702/wenyen-gabriel-lakers-los-angeles-anthony-davis-unrestricted-free-agent-darvin-ham

The comments are a very good window into Wenyen as a player.

Makes you wonder why the Lakers let him go.

[cons]

i guess bc they signed christian wood?

but this guy may be better, not talent wise, but filling a role-wise