Explain to me why Mickey can't play center

[Ed Hollison]

A couple days ago RedsArmy had a good post summarizing some thoughts from summer league. (See http://redsarmy.com/2015/07/19/what-we-learned-from-the-summer-league/.)

One of the good points from that post had to do with Jordan Mickey, and how his stature measures up to other “bigs” in the NBA:

Most people were lukewarm about the Mickey selection because they made the mistake of generalizing him as just a “undersized shot-blocker.” Not to get too off topic here, but when it comes to defensive potential, the most important thing is wingspan and athleticism. NBA players are never really as tall as you think. Dwight Howard is 6’9, Kevin Love is  6’7 3/4, Al Horford is 6’8 3/4, and Blake Griffin is 6’8 1/2, but yet all of these guys are listed at 6’10 or above on ESPN.
 
Although Mickey isn’t a full 6’10- 7’0, he can still hold his own down low thanks to a 7’3 1/4 wingspan (same as Karl Anthony-Towns) and a 37 1/2 vertical (which is better than Towns).

Completely agree. I’m absolutely not worried about Mickey’s height and length. I guess you could make the argument that he’s not heavy and strong enough to match up against big bruising post-up types, but I’d reply with a) there aren’t many of those guys left in the NBA anyway, b) let’s give the kid a chance to bulk up a bit, and c) you can always pair him with a beefier non-shot blocker (like a Sullinger) capable of better handling those types.

Thoughts?

[saltlover]

I'm sure there will be lineups in the future where Mickey plays some center.  I expect him to spend almost all of his time in Maine this season, so barring a ton of injuries, I doubt we'll see any of such lineups this year.  But Stevens had Crowder at the 5 occasionally last season, so I'm sure he'd have no problem putting Mickey in there if the matchups indicated it might work.

[ahonui06]

He is undersized height-wise and has a small frame. I believe if he adds some weight he would be able to play Center in smallball situations but not against traditional centers like Marc Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins, etc.

[cltc5]

He hasn't played a lick of nba talent level basketball yet, let alone at a position where he'd be considerably undersized.

[perks-a-beast]

Im sure he could play center. Ben Wallace was only about 6"8. But then again he had an afro that made him 7"2 that the opposition couldnt see over. I suggest Mickey grows the fro.

[Ed Hollison]

He hasn't played a lick of nba talent level basketball yet, let alone at a position where he'd be considerably undersized.

This is the point of the RedsArmy post. He's not actually undersized, at least not by much, considering the true height of some of the existing centers in the league (much shorter than their listed heights) and his huge wingspan.

[Celtics4ever]

He will get pushed around quite a bit.    I think you already answered this one when you said this:

I guess you could make the argument that he’s not heavy and strong enough to match up against big bruising post-up types, but I’d reply with a) there aren’t many of those guys left in the NBA anyway, b) let’s give the kid a chance to bulk up a bit, and c) you can always pair him with a beefier non-shot blocker (like a Sullinger) capable of better handling those types.

Pros have trainer and a lot of them get big and strong and stay that way.   They may not look it but a man in his mid to late 20's has a strength edge on a guy on his early 20s all other things being equal. 

Athletic ability is great but it can wane over the course of a game and yet a big tall guy is still seven foot at the end of the game.    I am not saying it can't be done, it might and it has worked a few times in the NBA.  Ben Wallace and Wes Unseld did it with strength.   Wallace was also a great athlete and hard worker.   But it has not worked out that well for many guys who tried to do it.

I still harbor hope that the kid can develop his range and handle.   I would love to see him be able to cover a LeBron type on the wing with that athletic ability and length.  We can hope, he is athletic and would be a big SF.

[boscel33]

I'm sure there will be lineups in the future where Mickey plays some center.  I expect him to spend almost all of his time in Maine this season, so barring a ton of injuries, I doubt we'll see any of such lineups this year.  But Stevens had Crowder at the 5 occasionally last season, so I'm sure he'd have no problem putting Mickey in there if the matchups indicated it might work.

I don't think he spends much time at all in Maine.  I expect him to pull some decent minutes, especially after the next shoe drops.  ;-)

[CFAN38]

With added strength Mickey should be able to play some spot minutes at the 5. The Celtics played Bass at the 5 last season and while Bass is bigger and stronger he is  .75" shorter with 1.5" less reach. In the summer league we saw that Mickey will struggle rebounding against big center as Jack Cooley gave him issues on the boards. I ultimately think Mickey is going to be his best playing along side bigs with shooting range (either 3pt of longter 2s). Zeller, KO and Sully will all be able to add a bigger body on the boards while creating spacing on offense. This leaves Mickey free to provide help D and crash on offense.

[Jon]

I'm sure there will be lineups in the future where Mickey plays some center.  I expect him to spend almost all of his time in Maine this season, so barring a ton of injuries, I doubt we'll see any of such lineups this year.  But Stevens had Crowder at the 5 occasionally last season, so I'm sure he'd have no problem putting Mickey in there if the matchups indicated it might work.

I don't think he spends much time at all in Maine.  I expect him to pull some decent minutes, especially after the next shoe drops.  ;-)

But what does that even mean? It seems everyone who talks about Mickey making a contribution this year talks in generalities.

But the specifics are these: there are 6 players in front of him (Lee, Johnson, Zeller, Sullinger, Olynyk, and Jerbenko). For him to even make the active roster, 1-2 of them will have to go. Even if that were to happen, his butt would still likely be glued to the bench.

I think even being the most generous to Mickey's case, we have to grant that Johnson and Lee will at least collectively play 48 mpg, which leaves a collective 48 minutes for Zeller, Sullinger, Olynyk, Jerbenko, and Mickey. Even if Sully is dealt, I don't see how (at best) Mickey gets more than spot minutes, and even then, I'd still see the more likely scenario of Zeller/Olynyk splitting the other 48 mpg, with Jerbenko getting spot minutes at the wing and swing spots.

I like what Mickey brings and I am happy Danny picked him, I just think this idea he is going to contribute this year is ignoring reality.

[CFAN38]

Im sure he could play center. Ben Wallace was only about 6"8. But then again he had an afro that made him 7"2 that the opposition couldnt see over. I suggest Mickey grows the fro.

Wallace was so effective as an undersized center because he was arguably the 2nd strongest player in the league at his prime (2nd to shaq).

[PhoSita]

Because he lacks strength / bulk at the moment to the extent that guys like Kosta Koufos and Timofey Mozgov would score 15-20 points on him just by muscling the ball in.

[max215]

He plays a position where weight and strength are absolutely essential to avoid being tossed around like a rag doll.

[bigal534]

He can, in todays NBA..

[dreamgreen]

Umm perhaps you didn't see him get pushed around by Okafar or that white kid in the first Utah game that isn't even an NBA player?

He looks small out there and he has zero chance of defending real NBA centers.

-1 TP for this kind of stuff.