Which one player would be the "perfect fit"?

[Neurotic Guy]

I like Kennard the player and the contract better than Duncan Robinson.  In theory, he fits the role of the bench wing/scorer but I don't know, I am just not that excited about him.  Is he even as good as Josh Richardson for example?  Certainly not as versatile.

I know the TPE expires 18 Jul 2022 so if we are going to do something with it, we need to do it soon.

Kennard has an elite skill so arguably he is better than J rich because of that.  I suspect Kennard's defense is not great so that would be an issue in the playoffs.  But he would be a pretty decent get given our options.

Luke from Duke would be nice.  Would also give the Cs a second Luke K.  Unprecedented.

[Surferdad]

Not the sexiest name, but I reckon Onyeka Okongwu would fit our system like a glove.

- He's an elite perimeter defender for a big man. Better than Timelord in this regard.
- He's an elite PnR roll man. Was scoring 1.44 PPP as a roller in 2021/22 which ranked in the 95th percentile. For reference purposes, Timelord was scoring 1.33 PPP which ranked in the 84th percentile.

In a nutshell, he'd be the perfect mobile big in our system. If for whatever reason we trade Timelord (which I don't think we will), Okongwu would be my #1 target to replace him.

Okongwu was disappointingly bad in that game he started in the playoffs. I wonder whether he is just effective going up against 2nd unit players and out of his depth against starting caliber talent.

He is interesting. One to keep an eye on. But I'm not sold on him at this point.

I recall some people here screaming for him in that draft but he hasn't done much since then.  is he really any better than the plethora of bigs Brad shipped out in the trades last year?

Okongwu is 21, and Atlanta has Capela, Collins and Gallinari and they drafted Jalen Johnson last year too. He played pretty well in the playoffs.

His athletic profile and defensive skills are really rare. He's someone who can play within our defensive scheme. So yeah, he's different.

Sounds pretty good, partly because "team identity" is the current buzzword.  The problem with Daniel Theis is that the team loses that identity when he comes in for Rob Williams III thus he didn't play much in the playoffs.  We need to continue to have switching defense with a strong defender in the middle.

[Bobshot]

WEEI said Patty Mills today, and I'll second that. Another one of Pop's players who knows how to play.

I like what they got for the 53rd pick. The kid can jump out of the building, and is young enough to improve his shooting. Great on defense.

As for a big to complement aging Al and fragile Robert, that should be a priority. Collins is out of reach--they'd have to break into their starting 5 to get him.

Maybe one of the other defense-oriented guys mentioned here by others. Guys who can jump and block shots. Offense is unimportant. Hello Bill Russell.

[lbgreen33]

Perfect Fit? That is tough because who is available? Deandre Ayton is on the block, I actually think I would give up Rob for him. Rob is better on defense, but I think Ayton would offer a lot more on the offensive side, also he has been fairly healthy. Then, I would look to add Ricky Rubio, I think he would be that stabilizer we need off the bench.  Because this is about fit, I am not getting into matching salaries and the cap.

[W8ting2McHale]

Probably not available for what we have to give up, but Markkanen or Oubre. I still like Ayton although he hasn’t become the player he could have been, but he certainly wouldn’t be available if he had.

I would look at role players/backups that could be loosing jobs to high draft picks. Detroit is getting overstocked on guards and bigs but lacks wings, and Memphis, Cleveland, and Orlando on bigs. Someone is going to be sold off cheap to make room. Bamba or Carter Jr? Killian Hayes or Luke Garza? Kelly Olynyk? For Nesmith?

[Vermont Green]

Probably not available for what we have to give up, but Markkanen or Oubre. I still like Ayton although he hasn’t become the player he could have been, but he certainly wouldn’t be available if he had.

I would look at role players/backups that could be loosing jobs to high draft picks. Detroit is getting overstocked on guards and bigs but lacks wings, and Memphis, Cleveland, and Orlando on bigs. Someone is going to be sold off cheap to make room. Bamba or Carter Jr? Killian Hayes or Luke Garza? Kelly Olynyk? For Nesmith?

Don't see any reason for CLE to trade him.  Their roster salary is not all that bad and they have Kevin Love coming off the books after this season.  They do seem to have an excess of bigs but not sure that means they move Markkanen unless it is for something worthwhile.  It would likely take a lot more than Nesmith.  Markkanen would fit our TPE.

[wiley]

 a bit unrelated to the topic.  But how old is Hauser and when will he be ready for major bench minutes?

[liam]

a bit unrelated to the topic.  But how old is Hauser and when will he be ready for major bench minutes?

He's 24 and I think he should've gotten minutes last year. He never looks lost on the court and he's shooting over 40% on very limited shots.

[tazzmaniac]

This thread should not exist.  Bane ought to be on the roster.  While maybe not a perfect fit, he'd be a pretty [dang] good fit. 

Wish some reporter at the time had questioned Ainge on why that pick was traded rather than used to draft Bane.  Made absolutely no sense considering some of the flotsam on the roster.  At least when Ainge traded up to draft Olynyk over Giannis, we got to hear him say he thought Olynyk would be a good complimentary role player.  It is good to get stupidity on the record. 

[SparzWizard]

This thread should not exist.  Bane ought to be on the roster.  While maybe not a perfect fit, he'd be a pretty [dang] good fit. 

Wish some reporter at the time had questioned Ainge on why that pick was traded rather than used to draft Bane.  Made absolutely no sense considering some of the flotsam on the roster.  At least when Ainge traded up to draft Olynyk over Giannis, we got to hear him say he thought Olynyk would be a good complimentary role player.  It is good to get stupidity on the record.

Puke. Just puke.

What could've been if we had Giannis the last few years...

[gouki88]

a bit unrelated to the topic.  But how old is Hauser and when will he be ready for major bench minutes?

He's 24 and I think he should've gotten minutes last year. He never looks lost on the court and he's shooting over 40% on very limited shots.

I’d like to see Hauser get some run. His shooting is legit