Could Tremont Waters And Tacko Fall Give The Celtics A Postseason Edge?

It’s not exactly the hardware that every player dreams about, but the G League Rookie of the Year award is certainly something. Yes, the Boston Celtics’ Tremont Waters was handed the award last week, becoming the fourth Maine Red Claws player to earn the distinction. Waters, the 51^st overall pick in last year’s draft, has been putting together an impressive resume and the award is just the latest sign that he could be part of the team’s playoff roster if the league figures out how to successfully restart the 2019-20 season.

If this were a normal year, which it is absolutely not, Waters would have had no impact on the Celtics’ postseason hopes. As a two-way player who splits his roster time between the main club and its G League affiliate, he wouldn’t even been eligible to make the Celtics’ postseason roster.

Right now however, he could be an asset. When an NBA player tests positive for the coronavirus, they are immediately put in quarantine. This, alongside the fact that there will be players who will understandably opt out of the league-mandated trip to Walt Disney World
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given the risks of playing during this pandemic, means that teams will have an additional need to expand their rosters.

For most teams, this change might not make much of a difference. Typically, a team’s two-way player still requires some time in the G-League before they are able to regularly contribute on the NBA level, if they ever do. Waters, however, may have already shown that he has little more to learn down in what amounts to the basketball minor leagues. In 36 games with the Red Claws, Waters has averaged 18.0 points and 3.2 rebounds and has established himself as the team’s key offensive player. He has also been impressive at defense, averaging nearly two steals a game. While Waters is not likely to get much playing time in the postseason, the Celtics have a stacked roster, it’s not inconceivable that he could end up receiving a few crucial minutes.

Meanwhile, the Celtics’ other two-way player, Tacko Fall, is less likely to make much of a difference, but it will at least be fun to have him on the bench. The 7-foot-5 center from Senegal is the tallest player in the league, which makes his every possession a must-watch event. When he has been on the Celtics bench, even fans in opposing arenas come to welcome the possibility of a Celtics blowout for an opportunity to start “We Want Tacko” chants.

Unlike Waters, however, Fall is still very much a work-in-progress, as he started playing basketball rather late in life. Still, Fall has shown flashes of being a difference-maker, averaging 12.9 pounds and 11.3 rebounds during the now-defunct G League season. What might end up being the most important stat in the near future is the 3.1 blocks he’s averaging per game. Although he’s still working on his offense, it’s impossible to overlook the old saying that “you can’t teach size.” Fall can already block on the NBA level and having him available as something of a specialist might end up working in Boston’s favor.

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When the NBA allowed teams two additional roster slots for players who would split time between the G League and their parent club, it was for several reasons. The introduction of the two-way player allowed teams to keep later draft picks that otherwise would have been victims of roster-crunches. Plus, it helped keep talent in the G League, something which the league is keen to develop. Finally, it gave teams a little bit more flexibility as the season progressed. Until now, however, two-way players weren’t meant to have an impact on the postseason. We could see that change—at least for these particular playoffs—and Waters and Fall could end up providing the Celtics with a slight edge that other teams won’t necessarily have.