Most unlikely key contributor?

[Fred Roberts]

Unlikely contributor: Sean Williams.

It doesn't sound like he helped himself at all so far this summer so it'll be a major long shot to see him make the team, let alone get pt and make some noise. I had high hopes before though.

[Jon]

A lot of folks seem to be very down on JaJuan Johnson right now.  I get it, but I think he has a good shot at being the most unlikely key contributor on the 2012-2013 Boston Celtics.  

I wouldn't be surprised to see him ahead of Sully in the rotation.  Right now, his strengths fit better as a role player off the bench.  Sully's strengths as a versatile scorer and go-to guy fit well on the summer league squad, but I don't see him getting to have that kind of role with the real squad.   JJJ will continue to improve in the pick and roll both offensively and defensively.  Once he does, I think he'll be a valuable contributor.  

I'm higher than most on this board about JJJ.  However, I don't know what type of advantage he really has over Sullinger offensively.  Sullinger certainly has more potential as a go-to scorer as you say; however, Sullinger is also a very good shooter too.  So he should be able to easily get and execute many of the same looks Bass gets. 

If JJJ is going to surpass him, it's going to have to be on the defensive end where JJJ has more length and athleticism.  If he can, he has a shot. 

Well, that's the point, isn't it?  They really want their bigs to be able to defend the pick+roll, and JJJ has the athleticism to potentially do that at a high level.  If he can defend the P+R and hit the elbow jumper, he's got a chance of cracking the rotation.  

I agree.  I was simply saying that if Johnson is going to beat out Sullinger for backup 4 minutes, he's going to have to do it with his defense.  His jump shot is nice, but Sullinger has even a better one.  So while Sullinger may have the ability to offensively create his own shot, he also has the ability to be a role player on offense too because of his jump shooting ability (a la Bass). 

To be honest, since they both have pretty good jumpers and both have other interesting assets (JJJ's length and athleticism; Sullinger's bulk and post game), I think there's an outside shot they could both surpass Bass.  Bass is very good at hitting the open J and finishing around the rim, but that's about it. 

[ManUp]

Kris Joseph is my pick.

I fully expect Sullinger to contribute off the bench.

I think Melo will give us what Hollins did.

[Celtics18]

A lot of folks seem to be very down on JaJuan Johnson right now.  I get it, but I think he has a good shot at being the most unlikely key contributor on the 2012-2013 Boston Celtics.  

I wouldn't be surprised to see him ahead of Sully in the rotation.  Right now, his strengths fit better as a role player off the bench.  Sully's strengths as a versatile scorer and go-to guy fit well on the summer league squad, but I don't see him getting to have that kind of role with the real squad.   JJJ will continue to improve in the pick and roll both offensively and defensively.  Once he does, I think he'll be a valuable contributor.  

I'm higher than most on this board about JJJ.  However, I don't know what type of advantage he really has over Sullinger offensively.  Sullinger certainly has more potential as a go-to scorer as you say; however, Sullinger is also a very good shooter too.  So he should be able to easily get and execute many of the same looks Bass gets. 

If JJJ is going to surpass him, it's going to have to be on the defensive end where JJJ has more length and athleticism.  If he can, he has a shot. 

As for other unlikely contributors, it's tough to say now given that we don't have the final roster.  I think once everyone's healthy, there's isn't going to be any PT outside of our top 9 (Rondo, Bradley, Pierce, Bass, KG, Terry, Green, Wilcox, and either Sully or JJJ).  I don't really count any of them as unexpected.

I guess Moore could be that guy if he gets the nod at the 2 while Bradley is out.  But at this point, we don't even know if he'll make the team.   

You put your finger on it.  I think that the main thing that could get JaJuan more PT than Sully is his length and athleticism advantage.  Being able to defend the pick and roll is crucial for a big in today's NBA.  Although, I'm sure many are going to complain about JJJ's pick and roll defensive awareness, there's no question in my mind that he has the physical tools to become solid at showing and recovering.  Sully, as smart as he is as a basketball player, is going to struggle in that aspect of the game due to his physical limitations.  

On the offensive end, if JJJ is going to be a factor it is going to be as a finisher running the floor or off penetration or possibly as the recipient of a few pick and pops.  Sully's probably a better pick and pop player with a more consistent jumper, but he may not be able to finish as well off dump offs due to his earth bound nature.  On the other hand, his strength, width, and nose for the basket may allow him to finish more than one might expect, a la our old friend Mr. Baby Davis.  

Another advantage for Sully is that he looks like he can actually defend one on one in the post.  that's a nice quality, but not really as crucial in today's game as many make it out to be.  There simply aren't a ton of good low post scoring bigs out there.  

As to your expected contributors list, I agree with it, except I'm not ready to put JJJ or Sully on that list yet.  Yes, I think one of them will get minutes.  On the other hand, it seems like most fans are ready to already declare Sully the winner in that battle for the title of fifth big.  Based on what I've been reading around here, if JaJuan gets some regular minutes, it will certainly be unexpected.  

[celticinorlando]

I hate to say it because I don't ant him on the team...but it will be Moore. He will grown into the primary PG back up

[tarheelsxxiii]

I saw Moore randomly chuck Fabricio the ball 22ft from the basket with 3 seconds left on the shot clock.

Couldn't care less about offense. He has soft hands when composed, attacks the offensive glass (saw him anticipate really well on 2, tipped one out to half court), rolls off of screens, and passes well from the post - all building blocks. In general, anything he gives on that end is icing on the cake.

He's generally a blank slate. He has bad habits that result from him being a beast up to this point. On D, he never had to front the post, push guys off the block, etc. - he could camp out in the paint, muscle smaller guys and swat shots straight up. On offense, he still posts up too deep because he hasn't ever had to catch at the hash-mark and make a post move to score. But he's huge, agile for his size, hedges on screens, and moves pretty [dang] well laterally (sometimes looks like he's gonna tip backwards into the toilet).

We were reliant on Steamboat last year and Hollins got mins in the playoffs... clearly, there's a huge need for Fab. He has been aggressive thus far, seems coach-able and, as soon as he hones the skills to be a defensive/rebounding force, he'll be ready to step in physically. If he can give KG spells for short chunks of time by mid-season, we will have done really well.

[tarheelsxxiii]

A lot of folks seem to be very down on JaJuan Johnson right now.  I get it, but I think he has a good shot at being the most unlikely key contributor on the 2012-2013 Boston Celtics.  

I wouldn't be surprised to see him ahead of Sully in the rotation.  Right now, his strengths fit better as a role player off the bench.  Sully's strengths as a versatile scorer and go-to guy fit well on the summer league squad, but I don't see him getting to have that kind of role with the real squad.   JJJ will continue to improve in the pick and roll both offensively and defensively.  Once he does, I think he'll be a valuable contributor.  

I'm higher than most on this board about JJJ.  However, I don't know what type of advantage he really has over Sullinger offensively.  Sullinger certainly has more potential as a go-to scorer as you say; however, Sullinger is also a very good shooter too.  So he should be able to easily get and execute many of the same looks Bass gets. 

If JJJ is going to surpass him, it's going to have to be on the defensive end where JJJ has more length and athleticism.  If he can, he has a shot. 

As for other unlikely contributors, it's tough to say now given that we don't have the final roster.  I think once everyone's healthy, there's isn't going to be any PT outside of our top 9 (Rondo, Bradley, Pierce, Bass, KG, Terry, Green, Wilcox, and either Sully or JJJ).  I don't really count any of them as unexpected.

I guess Moore could be that guy if he gets the nod at the 2 while Bradley is out.  But at this point, we don't even know if he'll make the team.   

You put your finger on it.  I think that the main thing that could get JaJuan more PT than Sully is his length and athleticism advantage.  Being able to defend the pick and roll is crucial for a big in today's NBA.  Although, I'm sure many are going to complain about JJJ's pick and roll defensive awareness, there's no question in my mind that he has the physical tools to become solid at showing and recovering.  Sully, as smart as he is as a basketball player, is going to struggle in that aspect of the game due to his physical limitations.  

On the offensive end, if JJJ is going to be a factor it is going to be as a finisher running the floor or off penetration or possibly as the recipient of a few pick and pops.  Sully's probably a better pick and pop player with a more consistent jumper, but he may not be able to finish as well off dump offs due to his earth bound nature.  On the other hand, his strength, width, and nose for the basket may allow him to finish more than one might expect, a la our old friend Mr. Baby Davis.  

Another advantage for Sully is that he looks like he can actually defend one on one in the post.  that's a nice quality, but not really as crucial in today's game as many make it out to be.  There simply aren't a ton of good low post scoring bigs out there.  

As to your expected contributors list, I agree with it, except I'm not ready to put JJJ or Sully on that list yet.  Yes, I think one of them will get minutes.  On the other hand, it seems like most fans are ready to already declare Sully the winner in that battle for the title of fifth big.  Based on what I've been reading around here, if JaJuan gets some regular minutes, it will certainly be unexpected.  

Woah. I feel like I'm being leveled here. I didn't include Sully b/c I thought it was a foregone conclusion he's going to be a rotational player this year...

Anyway, since P&R defense is going to help JJJ get PT over Sully, what position is he guarding here? If he's guarding the 4, 75% of teams are dumping the ball straight into his man in the post every possession - there will be no need for a P&R. For shiggles, let's pretend they don't... he's recovering to a rolling 4 in the paint? I don't know if, in our conference alone, he's going to do anything alongside Humphries, Amare/Carmelo, Amir Johnson, etc. in the paint. He's not even recovering to contest a Bargnani or Jeffries jumper quickly enough. And trying him at the 3 isn't even an option.

Sullinger is good, really good. He shoots as well as JJJ, and he has a quicker release. He does a few things that JJJ can't, as well... like, create his own shot with his back to the basket OR facing up, defend in the high and low post, rebound, pass out of the post, play more than 5 mins without looking like he's going to keel over from wear-and-tear on his body, etc. If he's included, I'll go with Sully.

[tarheelsxxiii]

hah, sorry gents. thank you for giving me a space to vent... wish has actually come true - LEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Celtics18]

hah, sorry gents. thank you for giving me a space to vent... wish has actually come true - LEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess this means that JaJuan Johnson will not be a contributor for the Boston Celtics, after all.

[fairweatherfan06]

Sullinger

[tarheelsxxiii]

hah, sorry gents. thank you for giving me a space to vent... wish has actually come true - LEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess this means that JaJuan Johnson will not be a contributor for the Boston Celtics, after all.

DA did well... gotta find out the details here, don't get how Johnson is only player involved

[Interceptor]

I guess this means that JaJuan Johnson will not be a contributor for the Boston Celtics, after all.

Well, he got us Lee! Sort of!

[Celtics4ever]

Melo.