Per Woj: Celtics sign Lonnie Walker (waived)

[feckless]

In the summer league Scheierman did not look like an NBA player - except that his passing was better than expected.
Not sure who he can beat out?

[Vermont Green]

This question isn?t so much who Scheierman will beat out, the question is about Lonnie Walker, and where he would slot and if it is worth signing him. Walker will not be on the team if there is any question that he can beat out Scheierman (I don?t think there is a question about that).

If Springer comes back improved (which should be expected when you are 22), they may be in competition.  If Springer has improved, they probably don?t need Walker. 

[Big333223]

This question isn?t so much who Scheierman will beat out, the question is about Lonnie Walker, and where he would slot and if it is worth signing him. Walker will not be on the team if there is any question that he can beat out Scheierman (I don?t think there is a question about that).

If Springer comes back improved (which should be expected when you are 22), they may be in competition.  If Springer has improved, they probably don?t need Walker.

Springer is so strong, I wonder if Joe would use him at the 3 and Hauser at the 4, leaving the backcourt available for Pritchard and Lonnie.

[Vermont Green]

This question isn?t so much who Scheierman will beat out, the question is about Lonnie Walker, and where he would slot and if it is worth signing him. Walker will not be on the team if there is any question that he can beat out Scheierman (I don?t think there is a question about that).

If Springer comes back improved (which should be expected when you are 22), they may be in competition.  If Springer has improved, they probably don?t need Walker.

Springer is so strong, I wonder if Joe would use him at the 3 and Hauser at the 4, leaving the backcourt available for Pritchard and Lonnie.

I am not so sure about that.  Height and weight is not the only factor that determines what positions a player can play.  Walker and Springer are both listed at exactly 6'-4" and exactly 204 lbs.  But I see Springer as more of a combo guard, a Jrue Holiday type player, much more so than a wing.  I see Springer at his best handling the ball and penetrating, defending the other team's point or combo guard.  If he could develop a reliable shot, he could be an Avery Bradley type.

It is Walker who has a game that is more conducive to being a small wing (or so I conclude based on the reporting).  I may learn more about his game if he makes it onto the Celtics, but I see him as a more traditional 3&D wing type, albeit a small wing.  Based on what I have read, his defense is rated fairly high, but I still want to see that first hand on the Celtics.  Last season, 55% of his FGA were from 3.  Only 1.3 assists.  That tells me he just sits in the corner and waits to get a 3.

As to Sam Hauser, I don't see him as a 4 at all.  If anything, I see him as more of a 2/3, Duncan Robinson with better defense.  83% of Hauser's FGA were 3s.  Only 1.0 Assists.  Not very many rebounds.  I think we get killed on the boards if Hauser is our 4.  Hauser is very affective in his 2/3 role, I don't see any reason to change that; to play him grossly out of position.

[Goldstar88]

This question isn?t so much who Scheierman will beat out, the question is about Lonnie Walker, and where he would slot and if it is worth signing him. Walker will not be on the team if there is any question that he can beat out Scheierman (I don?t think there is a question about that).

If Springer comes back improved (which should be expected when you are 22), they may be in competition.  If Springer has improved, they probably don?t need Walker.

If Springer can?t figure out his shot, he?s not going to play. Jaden has been under 22% from 3pt the last 2 years. Walker was over 38% from 3pt last season and over 36% the year before. Brad has mentioned that he views Jaden as a project. Lonnie is a proven NBA player.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

This question isn?t so much who Scheierman will beat out, the question is about Lonnie Walker, and where he would slot and if it is worth signing him. Walker will not be on the team if there is any question that he can beat out Scheierman (I don?t think there is a question about that).

If Springer comes back improved (which should be expected when you are 22), they may be in competition.  If Springer has improved, they probably don?t need Walker.

If Springer can?t figure out his shot, he?s not going to play. Jaden has been under 22% from 3pt the last 2 years. Walker was over 38% from 3pt last season and over 36% the year before. Brad has mentioned that he views Jaden as a project. Lonnie is a proven NBA player.

And Springer is make twice the money.

[Goldstar88]

This question isn?t so much who Scheierman will beat out, the question is about Lonnie Walker, and where he would slot and if it is worth signing him. Walker will not be on the team if there is any question that he can beat out Scheierman (I don?t think there is a question about that).

If Springer comes back improved (which should be expected when you are 22), they may be in competition.  If Springer has improved, they probably don?t need Walker.

If Springer can?t figure out his shot, he?s not going to play. Jaden has been under 22% from 3pt the last 2 years. Walker was over 38% from 3pt last season and over 36% the year before. Brad has mentioned that he views Jaden as a project. Lonnie is a proven NBA player.

And Springer is make twice the money.

Yeah, Jaden was a first round pick and is still on his rookie deal.

[celticinorlando]

Not sure why anyone thinks Springer could be a rotational player. He simply has no offense whatsoever.

Lonnie Walker will be in the rotation. Brad knows he needs to get White and Holiday breaks after this long run. Those minutes are not going to Springer. Plus they can't count on Walsh nor BS to give them much of anything other than garbage minutes.

That limits your bench to PP and Hauser for the guard/wing.

[Vermont Green]

Not sure why anyone thinks Springer could be a rotational player. He simply has no offense whatsoever.

Lonnie Walker will be in the rotation. Brad knows he needs to get White and Holiday breaks after this long run. Those minutes are not going to Springer. Plus they can't count on Walsh nor BS to give them much of anything other than garbage minutes.

That limits your bench to PP and Hauser for the guard/wing.

I am not expecting much from Springer this season but I am also not giving up on him.  He is 21 right now (will be 22 on Sept 25).  He likely will not develop the needed shooting touch to be a rotation player this season, but I expect some improvement.

The discussion is that Walker needs to be better than Springer if he wants a contract.  Walker should be better than Springer, has been better so far in his career.  But I don't think they will trade Springer in any case, at least not right away.

Springer has proven to be better than Davison, better than Scheierman, better than Walsh, but not good enough to earn rotation minutes like say Pritchard.  Walker needs to be at or close to the Pritchard/Hauser level to warrant signing him.  I look forward to seeing them on the court in the preseason.  Sometimes players look better on other teams than they do when they get to the Celtics.  Springer looked very good in Summer League, but that is Summer League.  I think he is improved over last season, but need to see him on the court with NBA players to be able to say how much improved.

[Roy H.]

Jared Weiss gave a pretty solid assessment of the signing.  An excerpt:

Walker?s touch fell off late in the season, but he was shooting 42.7 percent on 4.9 3-point attempts a night with the Brooklyn Nets heading into March. There is one particular look he can knockdown consistently, the semi-open spot-up going to his left. He likes to twist his hips around and jumps fairly high, so hopping to his left on the catch gives him the balance he needs to knock the shot down.

This highlight tape from his memorable playoff performance with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 shows most of the package in his game.

Walker can handle just enough to go left over screens and can hit a 20-foot pull-up jumper off the catch, though that shot is not very consistent. The thing he does well is driving hard into space, where he gets high in the air and hits an up-and-under layup over the league?s tallest centers.

There isn?t a lot of variety in his drives and he doesn?t pass that much once he hits the paint, but he is acrobatic enough to get away with it. He has sufficient offensive ability to play in the NBA. The question is whether he can improve his defensive awareness.

On the ball, he can stay in front of players but doesn?t show enough balance to handle physicality well. But as a bench wing, he typically gets the weakside help role and that?s where he most often gets lost. When he?s responsible for helping off a pair of shooters, he?ll often turn his back to his man and get a bit lost when he tries to recover.

Walker?s camp invite may have something to do with Jordan Walsh?s summer league performance, where the second-year wing looked like he needed another year in Maine before being ready to see the floor. While Walsh projects to be a capable defender in the future once he catches up to NBA speed, Walker can at least defend without fouling now and provide floor spacing on offense.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5749464/2024/09/09/celtics-lonnie-walker-signing-training-camp/

Weiss expects Walker to be waived and to end up in Maine.

[celticinorlando]

Jared Weiss gave a pretty solid assessment of the signing.  An excerpt:

Walker?s touch fell off late in the season, but he was shooting 42.7 percent on 4.9 3-point attempts a night with the Brooklyn Nets heading into March. There is one particular look he can knockdown consistently, the semi-open spot-up going to his left. He likes to twist his hips around and jumps fairly high, so hopping to his left on the catch gives him the balance he needs to knock the shot down.

This highlight tape from his memorable playoff performance with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 shows most of the package in his game.

Walker can handle just enough to go left over screens and can hit a 20-foot pull-up jumper off the catch, though that shot is not very consistent. The thing he does well is driving hard into space, where he gets high in the air and hits an up-and-under layup over the league?s tallest centers.

There isn?t a lot of variety in his drives and he doesn?t pass that much once he hits the paint, but he is acrobatic enough to get away with it. He has sufficient offensive ability to play in the NBA. The question is whether he can improve his defensive awareness.

On the ball, he can stay in front of players but doesn?t show enough balance to handle physicality well. But as a bench wing, he typically gets the weakside help role and that?s where he most often gets lost. When he?s responsible for helping off a pair of shooters, he?ll often turn his back to his man and get a bit lost when he tries to recover.

Walker?s camp invite may have something to do with Jordan Walsh?s summer league performance, where the second-year wing looked like he needed another year in Maine before being ready to see the floor. While Walsh projects to be a capable defender in the future once he catches up to NBA speed, Walker can at least defend without fouling now and provide floor spacing on offense.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5749464/2024/09/09/celtics-lonnie-walker-signing-training-camp/

Weiss expects Walker to be waived and to end up in Maine.

I do not understand what good it does anyone to send Walker to Maine. Why keep Walsh in Boston when he isn't good enough to be the 15th player right now? Send Walsh to Maine and keep Walker up. Walsh has shown very little growth in any of his game through summer league.

I agree they should put efforts into getting BS playing time. I do think he is the one guy that could be a good wing off the bench...but will Joe play him?

[Roy H.]

Jared Weiss gave a pretty solid assessment of the signing.  An excerpt:

Walker?s touch fell off late in the season, but he was shooting 42.7 percent on 4.9 3-point attempts a night with the Brooklyn Nets heading into March. There is one particular look he can knockdown consistently, the semi-open spot-up going to his left. He likes to twist his hips around and jumps fairly high, so hopping to his left on the catch gives him the balance he needs to knock the shot down.

This highlight tape from his memorable playoff performance with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 shows most of the package in his game.

Walker can handle just enough to go left over screens and can hit a 20-foot pull-up jumper off the catch, though that shot is not very consistent. The thing he does well is driving hard into space, where he gets high in the air and hits an up-and-under layup over the league?s tallest centers.

There isn?t a lot of variety in his drives and he doesn?t pass that much once he hits the paint, but he is acrobatic enough to get away with it. He has sufficient offensive ability to play in the NBA. The question is whether he can improve his defensive awareness.

On the ball, he can stay in front of players but doesn?t show enough balance to handle physicality well. But as a bench wing, he typically gets the weakside help role and that?s where he most often gets lost. When he?s responsible for helping off a pair of shooters, he?ll often turn his back to his man and get a bit lost when he tries to recover.

Walker?s camp invite may have something to do with Jordan Walsh?s summer league performance, where the second-year wing looked like he needed another year in Maine before being ready to see the floor. While Walsh projects to be a capable defender in the future once he catches up to NBA speed, Walker can at least defend without fouling now and provide floor spacing on offense.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5749464/2024/09/09/celtics-lonnie-walker-signing-training-camp/

Weiss expects Walker to be waived and to end up in Maine.

I do not understand what good it does anyone to send Walker to Maine. Why keep Walsh in Boston when he isn't good enough to be the 15th player right now? Send Walsh to Maine and keep Walker up. Walsh has shown very little growth in any of his game through summer league.

I agree they should put efforts into getting BS playing time. I do think he is the one guy that could be a good wing off the bench...but will Joe play him?

Sending Walker to Maine allows the team to keep an eye on him and develop his defense, without having to pay him an NBA salary.

The risk is that he's an NBA free agent and could sign with any team.

As for Walsh, Summer League is irrelevant.  He's a project who will probably spend the bulk of his time in Maine.  He's a very cheap option to fill a mandatory spot on the roster.

[Goldstar88]

Jared Weiss gave a pretty solid assessment of the signing.  An excerpt:

Walker?s touch fell off late in the season, but he was shooting 42.7 percent on 4.9 3-point attempts a night with the Brooklyn Nets heading into March. There is one particular look he can knockdown consistently, the semi-open spot-up going to his left. He likes to twist his hips around and jumps fairly high, so hopping to his left on the catch gives him the balance he needs to knock the shot down.

This highlight tape from his memorable playoff performance with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 shows most of the package in his game.

Walker can handle just enough to go left over screens and can hit a 20-foot pull-up jumper off the catch, though that shot is not very consistent. The thing he does well is driving hard into space, where he gets high in the air and hits an up-and-under layup over the league?s tallest centers.

There isn?t a lot of variety in his drives and he doesn?t pass that much once he hits the paint, but he is acrobatic enough to get away with it. He has sufficient offensive ability to play in the NBA. The question is whether he can improve his defensive awareness.

On the ball, he can stay in front of players but doesn?t show enough balance to handle physicality well. But as a bench wing, he typically gets the weakside help role and that?s where he most often gets lost. When he?s responsible for helping off a pair of shooters, he?ll often turn his back to his man and get a bit lost when he tries to recover.

Walker?s camp invite may have something to do with Jordan Walsh?s summer league performance, where the second-year wing looked like he needed another year in Maine before being ready to see the floor. While Walsh projects to be a capable defender in the future once he catches up to NBA speed, Walker can at least defend without fouling now and provide floor spacing on offense.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5749464/2024/09/09/celtics-lonnie-walker-signing-training-camp/

Weiss expects Walker to be waived and to end up in Maine.

I do not understand what good it does anyone to send Walker to Maine. Why keep Walsh in Boston when he isn't good enough to be the 15th player right now? Send Walsh to Maine and keep Walker up. Walsh has shown very little growth in any of his game through summer league.

I agree they should put efforts into getting BS playing time. I do think he is the one guy that could be a good wing off the bench...but will Joe play him?

Scheierman couldn?t play defense against summer league players. He would get destroyed in the NBA right now. He isn?t even close to being ready to play at the next level.

[celticinorlando]

Jared Weiss gave a pretty solid assessment of the signing.  An excerpt:

Walker?s touch fell off late in the season, but he was shooting 42.7 percent on 4.9 3-point attempts a night with the Brooklyn Nets heading into March. There is one particular look he can knockdown consistently, the semi-open spot-up going to his left. He likes to twist his hips around and jumps fairly high, so hopping to his left on the catch gives him the balance he needs to knock the shot down.

This highlight tape from his memorable playoff performance with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 shows most of the package in his game.

Walker can handle just enough to go left over screens and can hit a 20-foot pull-up jumper off the catch, though that shot is not very consistent. The thing he does well is driving hard into space, where he gets high in the air and hits an up-and-under layup over the league?s tallest centers.

There isn?t a lot of variety in his drives and he doesn?t pass that much once he hits the paint, but he is acrobatic enough to get away with it. He has sufficient offensive ability to play in the NBA. The question is whether he can improve his defensive awareness.

On the ball, he can stay in front of players but doesn?t show enough balance to handle physicality well. But as a bench wing, he typically gets the weakside help role and that?s where he most often gets lost. When he?s responsible for helping off a pair of shooters, he?ll often turn his back to his man and get a bit lost when he tries to recover.

Walker?s camp invite may have something to do with Jordan Walsh?s summer league performance, where the second-year wing looked like he needed another year in Maine before being ready to see the floor. While Walsh projects to be a capable defender in the future once he catches up to NBA speed, Walker can at least defend without fouling now and provide floor spacing on offense.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5749464/2024/09/09/celtics-lonnie-walker-signing-training-camp/

Weiss expects Walker to be waived and to end up in Maine.

I do not understand what good it does anyone to send Walker to Maine. Why keep Walsh in Boston when he isn't good enough to be the 15th player right now? Send Walsh to Maine and keep Walker up. Walsh has shown very little growth in any of his game through summer league.

I agree they should put efforts into getting BS playing time. I do think he is the one guy that could be a good wing off the bench...but will Joe play him?

Scheierman couldn?t play defense against summer league players. He would get destroyed in the NBA right now. He isn?t even close to being ready to play at the next level.

So BS can't defend...Springer can't score and Walsh doesn't do much of either. Seems that they really need a third guard/wing player to step up esp if minutes are going to be limited for starters.

[Goldstar88]

Jared Weiss gave a pretty solid assessment of the signing.  An excerpt:

Walker?s touch fell off late in the season, but he was shooting 42.7 percent on 4.9 3-point attempts a night with the Brooklyn Nets heading into March. There is one particular look he can knockdown consistently, the semi-open spot-up going to his left. He likes to twist his hips around and jumps fairly high, so hopping to his left on the catch gives him the balance he needs to knock the shot down.

This highlight tape from his memorable playoff performance with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 shows most of the package in his game.

Walker can handle just enough to go left over screens and can hit a 20-foot pull-up jumper off the catch, though that shot is not very consistent. The thing he does well is driving hard into space, where he gets high in the air and hits an up-and-under layup over the league?s tallest centers.

There isn?t a lot of variety in his drives and he doesn?t pass that much once he hits the paint, but he is acrobatic enough to get away with it. He has sufficient offensive ability to play in the NBA. The question is whether he can improve his defensive awareness.

On the ball, he can stay in front of players but doesn?t show enough balance to handle physicality well. But as a bench wing, he typically gets the weakside help role and that?s where he most often gets lost. When he?s responsible for helping off a pair of shooters, he?ll often turn his back to his man and get a bit lost when he tries to recover.

Walker?s camp invite may have something to do with Jordan Walsh?s summer league performance, where the second-year wing looked like he needed another year in Maine before being ready to see the floor. While Walsh projects to be a capable defender in the future once he catches up to NBA speed, Walker can at least defend without fouling now and provide floor spacing on offense.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5749464/2024/09/09/celtics-lonnie-walker-signing-training-camp/

Weiss expects Walker to be waived and to end up in Maine.

I do not understand what good it does anyone to send Walker to Maine. Why keep Walsh in Boston when he isn't good enough to be the 15th player right now? Send Walsh to Maine and keep Walker up. Walsh has shown very little growth in any of his game through summer league.

I agree they should put efforts into getting BS playing time. I do think he is the one guy that could be a good wing off the bench...but will Joe play him?

Scheierman couldn?t play defense against summer league players. He would get destroyed in the NBA right now. He isn?t even close to being ready to play at the next level.

So BS can't defend...Springer can't score and Walsh doesn't do much of either. Seems that they really need a third guard/wing player to step up esp if minutes are going to be limited for starters.

Right, which is why Lonnie Walker is likely the best bet. He?s a proven NBA player. Also, Sam can play the 2/3 and I?d be fine giving him more minutes. Pritchard can play more minutes at guard as well.