Free Agency recap and Celtics draftee deep-dive with NikNBA

Free Agency recap and Celtics draftee deep-dive with NikNBA

[Applause] oh knocked loose White dive on it This is twice now The Celtics have been first to the floor Save with Bford Unbelievable Boston first to the floor So good Brown fakes Fires up the three Bang Tatum dives on the floor Everybody dives Brown with the flush Blocked like Forza He’s doing it all Tatum spinning driving Washington drives Blocked by White Oh what a block from Derek White [Music] All right first of the floor I’m joined by Wayne Spoony How you doing brother doing good man You know longtime Luca Garza fan over here and a very special guest Long time in the making This feels a little bit more like the Cam Johnson trade bringing the podcast into contention as opposed to what the Celtics have done today I’m joined by Nick NBA How you doing brother i’m great I was just telling y’all that I was doing a lot better before Luke Cornet ripped my heart out but uh I’m okay I’m okay
Yeah Um is there more NBA tape for you to study on Luca Gaza or L or Hugo Gonzalez at Real Madrid [ __ ] If we talking protake [ __ ] probably It’s easy Hugo
Easy
Oh man Yeah it’s uh Well we’ll start with some free agency stuff Luke Cornet gone San Antonio Spurs four year 41 million Happy for Luke Like this is this is his bag Like this is all the work that he put in over the over his career to get back to turn into the player that he has become like to be rewarded with $41 million Like super welld deserved It’s a big number for Luke Cornet Obviously like this is a massive blow to the Celtics Uh it feels like Hawford’s probably gone as well but Nick uh I don’t know How are you going to remember Luke Cornet i’m going to remember Luke as like a a longlost cousin that went away for a long time and I thought he was coming back and he never did But he got older and he get like bro his development was absolutely crazy Like he was a guy that was a a a pure stretch five for like three years and then uh he came here and stopped shooting Well no I think there was an
big one Big one It was a OKC game I believe two of them and I was like oh [ __ ] we got some and then I was like no just just stop shooting I was like what and then you know he became this great screener great offensive uh like this passer out of nowhere And well not out of out of nowhere but he just became this great passer this screener this finisher this protector in the rim And it kind of felt inevitable when um he was starting to get this good I was like “Yeah he took a pay cut last season and I was like yeah man This ain’t looking too good.” But I’m happy for Luke I’m glad he went to a team like the Spurs him and Wimi like [ __ ] that’s going to be fun So yeah I’m happy for him I am sad that we probably going we’re going to have to lose him in uh in a Horford Um but it is what it is The new Robinson Duncan down there in San Antonio dare I say Yeah I mean I think Luke is sort of a testament to the kind of the genius of Brad Stevens and Missoula where you take this guy I think he’s the alltime uh has the most three-point makes in NCAA history for a seven-footer And they’re like “Hey you know that the thing you’ve done to like get you in the NBA and be a good college player You’re not going to do that anymore.” Um and I’m going to really miss his chemistry with Tatum in that OKC game I think it was Tatum hit him on pick and pop for those two threes in that game Uh and like they were just awesome together They obliterated teams whenever they were on the court together and like he went out on the top right like he looked awesome in the playoffs and I suspect maybe that added a few extra million to the
um to the contract here It’s a great spot for him Luke is one of those dudes Uh sort of like Marcus Smart in a lot of ways where I just want him to be successful even if it’s not in Boston So go get your money Luke Go upset OKC in the second round next year Let’s have some fun But I will look very fondly on the Luke Cornet era in Boston
Yeah dude Great arc as you said Nick Like from out of the league pretty much multiple stops with the Celtics like came for a second left and then came back and Chris Porzingis [ __ ] us again I feel like with this one because like not only was his you know plague induced body the reason why we kind of weren’t able to get out of the playoffs but that forced Luke Cornet to play so much more over the past two seasons showcasing to the world just how good Luke Cornet was showing them what he was capable in game five of that Knicks series And maybe another blow for the Celtics coming through here Fernabachis Nigel Hayes Davis the the signing with the Phoenix Suns I know there was some reports of um him potentially coming over for the for the Celtics but that does not seem we don’t seem to be acquiring good players currently Um
hey don’t guys like that Hey what’s wrong with you
hey what’s wrong with you
i’d love I would love to be proved wrong proven wrong Um I couldn’t believe that name that came across the ticker Luca Gaza We’ll get to him in a second But Luke Spurs is going to be high on my list of teams that I’m rooting for I’m like I’m trying to collect my teams uh the list of teams that I’m going to be really pulling for I might have to put some Eay Odoka stuff to the side The cornhub That’s right We’re going to miss him But like I might have to forgive Eay Doka because the Rockets are making moves I kind of liking what the Hawks are doing bringing in uh KP and Alexander Walker at the Spurs Cornet they obviously great as a backup big man but I know Nick we could play some drop with with uh Cornet with WBY just flying around in the
in that ra Oh my god that’s that’s going to be scary [ __ ] I ain’t going to lie to you That’s going to be scary But
so yeah we we haven’t got anything official on Hawford yet But at this point I I think it’s just actually just better off for the Celtics to let him go cuz we know the path That’s like if he stays he helps us get five more wins six more wins I think we kind of want the opposite Go I just hope he goes to Denver I don’t know Nick do I I Lakers Knicks at the top of my list of please don’t go there The Warriors feel like they’re the leader in the clubhouse but I really the Nuggets are the team I really want him to go join Join Joic please Please Al
it’s it’s it’s it’s actually perfect if he just goes to the Nuggets It’s literally perfect Like that’s a team that I can be like “Okay let’s go Let’s go Al.” But the the Lakers ill Nick Knicks he’s ill the Warriors even worse what they they’re just in 2022 I don’t So yeah Al please if you’re I don’t know if you listen but please go play with Yopus brother Please go play Yopus
I I think that’s a good call So I know Spooky go ahead
Yeah No I was gonna say like Al is the perfect mentor for Don Holmes too who is like I think he’s like the 21st 22nd overall pick Completely missed the entire season but he’s got some Al Horford to his game So like that would be really interesting for him to mentor him But um Al with Jokic that’s beautiful Um otherwise just like any any other team that’s not the Knicks or Lakers or Miami Philly I think you make the argument he goes there he sabotages them again Like maybe that maybe I could see that happening But um otherwise like the Lakers to me is like number one because they need him so so bad that it makes it even worse if they actually end up getting him
Yeah that would be that would be really really painful Um the Knicks almost strike me if like if he did go there it feels like it ticks some similar boxes to what he did in Philly Like
hoping that he’s the missing piece but he kind of
I don’t know Cat and Embiid have some similarities to me in in their regular season impact maybe not translating completely to the playoffs but I don’t know dude from game from opening night coming up ring night from that night and what we did to the New York Knicks to right now Tatum Mchilles Drew Holiday to the Blazers Chris Esposing to the Hawks Luke Cornet to the Spurs Al Hawford probably gone too Five of our top eight are out for next season and four of our top eight are just gone assuming how it’s gone Nick I mean what the hell
i don’t got no answers bro I don’t know why you just say about that I don’t know This is like I understand the Well obviously it’s all because of Tatum’s like his injury Like once he he gets hurt for like a super long time it’s just obvious that hey’s what 38th 39th We don’t want to we don’t have him for a season to do absolutely [ __ ] So I mean
I I get it but it does hurt the same
Yeah I wonder if I wonder if Al if Al signs a one-year deal I will convince myself he’s coming back after that
Yeah Um but
Right Like it’s like Tatum will be back Al’s coming back He’ll do his last season in Boston Um
if he signs the two-year it’s I’m It’s going to hurt It’s going to really hurt I’m going to be extremely depressed And like I I just keep like looking at the roster and thinking like what what happened like we were the champs like 12 months ago Um and it’s it’s several different things Primarily like KP’s injury just derailed everything Drew got old It was always a team that was constructed with pretty I don’t want to say small margin for error but like some blow it up potential with Drew’s age and KP’s injury history and like you know Jaylen’s always had a knock here or there Um it’s just like I’m having kind of a difficult time like wrapping my head around like what we’re going into I’m going to have fun this season because I am so down for 25 minutes of like Baylor Shyman and Jordan Walsh But like to go from I expected us to at least make the Eastern Conference Finals frankly kind of expected us to make the finals to like uh should we tank we should probably tank And that this is whiplash man
Yeah this is and obviously and so much of this would feel different if Tatum’s healthy Like if Tatum’s healthy there’s still a chance to make the Eastern Conference finals even with that Like and if he’s healthy then Al probably stays and Luke maybe stays But you you’re probably keeping Al and a team of Tatum Jaylen Derek Pritchard Simons Al and Kater and stuff is like “Oh okay.” But when you take a top five guy off the team and a top five guy that does everything for your team it’s like “How are we going to rebound how are we going to playmate how are we going to create advantages how are we going to do anything?” Especially now with no Luke and and probably No Uh yeah we’ll we’ll dive into uh what it looks like as it continues to crystallize here as Brad Stevens delivers me some more birthday birthday birthday goods Uh Luca Gaza um not high on the list of um excellent birthday presents that uh that Brad Stevens has delivered me over over the years here But maybe we should we should just dive into the fun stuff as we look forward to next season the youth movement We’re AJ might be at the 2026 Summer League but for now we got Hugo Amari and Schulga Right after this break we’re going to dive into the film with uh with Nick here All right start with prize picks Prize picks time baby Uh I don’t have the ad read up Um prize picks time It hasn’t been a super successful run for me because I was running the uh the Caitlyn Clark uh gauntlet lately I think it might be time to hit the Angel Reese button She seems to be on a little bit of a run here Rebounds points I think we’re hitting more on Angel Reese and let’s ride the Caitlyn Clark slump for now We’re going less on Caitlyn Clark Uh assists and points It’s Angel Reese’s time She’s taken back the mantle from Caitlyn Clark here We’re going to download the app today Use code CLNS to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup Download the app today Use code CLNS to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup Prize picks run your game All right let’s start with Hugo Gonzalez Hugo’s hideaway Uh we’ve we’ve migrated over from from Jordan Walsh’s island there We’re running low on power over there Um and we’ve been rowing our way over to Hugo’s hideway over the last uh week here Um real quick Jake if I may uh I meant to open the show with this and completely forgot Happy birthday So there you go That wasn’t me saying I needed happy birthday but I appreciate it
Mental noted that and completely forgot Um it’s like when I go to like make a like I argue a motion in court and like forget the first part of my argument and then I get to the end and I’m like “How the hell do I shoehorn this [ __ ] in?” But uh yeah So happy birthday And like really quick Nick has just released you just dropped Max Schulga’s breakdown an hour ago or two So he’s got an awesome video on Hugo Hugo Gonzalez Amari Williams And I love how they say his name overseas Ugo Gonzalez I love that [ __ ] That [ __ ] I love that [ __ ]
Uh Anamari Williams check them out Nick is basically creating incredible content on like multiple times a week so he’s worth a follow If you follow us you should be following Nick for sure So sorry Jake Go ahead
Gonzalez
Well okay I’ll throw it to you Nick So obviously for me it’s like Hugo Gonzalez 28th overall pick and Brad’s just throwing darts at wings here like whether it’s Wall Shyman Hugo he’s just next in the list of guys that we’re hoping to hit Um on that what I like about him just like on his surface 19 66 without shoes So 67 in the old measurement system
Yeah Yeah With 66.25 without shoes
Without shoe Okay Okay Without shoes
That’s nice
Which I’ve realized Jaylen Brown’s 65 I think without shoes So taller than Jaylen Brown 610 plus wingspan and like a 220 pound frame as 19y old
So you just that alone plus like having some good feel that is the type of guy I like kind of taking a flyer on But I don’t know Well let’s let’s start positive I guess Nick what are what have been some things that you’ve uh enjoyed from Hugo in your deep dive so far
so yeah as you said 66 610 uh 223 is not really um
that’s big My strength No it is My strengths um is cutting Um he his feel for the game is crazy Um he’s been playing pro for a very long time So um he has that um offensive He’s a crasher The offensive rebound is crazy Um and you know us those those uh those corner corner crashes
That’s right Missoula is going to love that Hugo
Yeah I think they fell in love with that [ __ ] So yeah and as a um as a slasher he has some things to do around around the rim but like he gets his his his uh his like his first step is quick is strong If he turns the corner he can really get uh get there uh quick So um so yeah Um and his his intensity his hustle like it’s it’s real It’s real Now um if it’s honed in the correct way it it can be real But um there of course he’s again he’s super young Um there will be times where it’s kind of like frantic smith kind of [ __ ] but like but like he’s smart His feel is cutting is is excellent So um there are some things here Um and with that size I see why they took a chance on him Dude I Okay so this I buy the jumper I think the jumper looks really good frankly Dude it’s
like Fron’s It looks a lot like uh his shot before the uh got Yeah Yeah Like last year’s Fran shot when he actually shot the ball Well um I buy it I think it looks good Like maybe sometimes his base he needs to sort that out a little bit But yeah like the combination of his size and like strength at 19 and like the I I wouldn’t say he’s an elite athlete but he’s well and above a average athlete especially if you include the strength that he has And like the give a [ __ ] level is so ridiculous for him that I I like maybe he’s just O’Shea brassette and that would kind of I don’t even know if that’s a disappointment at 28 but that feels like kind of the floor for him is like he’s a big athletic wing that’s going to do all the dirty work and play really really hard And those type of guys stick around in the NBA for a really long time But I think for me too is like he processes the game not at like an elite level but at a pretty damn good level for a 19-year-old playing in professional basketball Um like I can definitely you you said like in your video like he’s he’s got that sort of connective tissue to him Totally agree with that He’s kind of a make the right play guy Um so you can see why they fell in love with him The defense I don’t I don’t know I’m I’m a little mixed on the defense stick Where are you at on it
so I was higher when I first like saw his like his taste and stuff I was like “Okay this is cool.” And then I started to like actually watch the games and [ __ ] I think he’s more of a like stocks type of guy than a on the ball stuff because man his closeouts get really messy Um but as a shot blocker as the low man it’s real It’s really It’s It’s real So but yeah I was I’ve gotten lower on this defense since I’ve been actually like you know what I’m saying but um yeah I’m I’m with you man I was watching this [ __ ] like damn he kind of get blown Damn he kind I was just like look at No no it’s it’s a work in progress It definitely is But the frame the feel the intensity it’s it’s there
Yeah Oh shout out Appreciate you Muzz We’ll put that in the 2026 Vegas fund Um we’ll uh that’ll be as we’re watching AG AJ someone give me the last name I’m I’m going to have to start I’m going have to start working on pronouncing
You say Camboozer
He’s the or Darren Peterson Darren Peterson Camboozer or AJ Um and we’re watching those guys 2026 summer league play for the Boston Celtics Appreciate that M Uh yeah like it is interesting cuz he I think when he first happened it kind of felt like he was more of a guardy type of uh dude but you start to understand like what his frame really is But um cuz like you in your video you talked about how he struggles a little bit with screen navigation That’s not uncommon with dudes that are that big like you know you know Tatum and Jaylen are not the best screen navigators Um and then having have having him as like a weak side weak side guy on the low man coming over to help rotating I do think the closeouts are something you can definitely work on I think that’s just a classic like especially in the context of Real Madrid I know they were probably in some other games but he clearly just wanted to play and wanted to be out there wanted to like impact the game when he’s playing such small stints I can see how that would kind of um you know lend itself to some of those bad habits But if you know out of control closeouts it reminds me of Rob right rob could not stay down on a pump fake for the first two years of his career and then next thing you know he he cuz with with that length and athleticism all it took was just a little bit of staying down and next thing you know he’s able to collect eight blocks against the Brooklyn Nets in the in the first round of the playoffs So as long as I think that does not strike me as a a trait that will be difficult to work on Um having the motor and the tools like DA Andre Aton getting bored out of his deal reminds me of this It’s like he just you can’t teach playing hard or playing hard is a skill and playing hard is a trait and John Aton does not have that TJ McConnell’s talked about how like Derek White’s clearly got it So Hugo having that piece of it and being able to at least process the game makes me feel like he has a chance And on the shooting Nick you did a good job of on this on your video as well So many of his attempts came on late clock late shot clock and grenades So like he only he also shot like less than 53s I think last season So the percentages are just all over the place volume-wise So yeah and I’m with you Spook looks fine Yeah
Go ahead
Go ahead Nick Okay Yeah Yeah Yeah He shot um 883 threes last year and at least 15 of them were just like here you go shoot the ball like it’s time So So like I also don’t want to preface that as saying that he’s going to um totally
he’s going to come here and like he’s going to shoot shoot great um even in his uh under 18 play like he was never a a great shooter but there’s context to at least this year that like the situation like he was underused misutilized and all that stuff So um I wouldn’t look at his style of play or like his time with uh this season and say this is translatable to like how he will play Um of course he’s not gonna like gonna be uh be handling a whole lot uh here but uh Real Madrid was not a good situation for his draft star It never is for any young players Like they just they don’t care And if you look at that roster it’s all XNBA guys including my my man Usman Garuba Get him over I still believe in Usman Um on on Hugo’s handle really quick like he kind of reminds me of Jaylen Brown when he was at Cal where um it would be like it’s it’s kind of a sloppy mess at times and then other times he’s like full speed like in transition crazy fast crossover blows by somebody and it looks so good and then other times he’s like trying to navigate in space a little bit and it’s all over the place So but like Jaylen I know everybody makes fun of his handle The dude can make generate any shot he wants Like his handle has some ball control issues but he’s got a pretty damn good handle Um so I I kind of see the same thing with Hugo So Jake lowend midend high-end outcomes from Hugo So um okay let me give you my low end I am having a really hard time with a midend Uh and then I think Nick
he’s either Oane Brassette or he’s he’s a Hall of Famer All right
Yeah basically Yes Um I’m having trouble with the one that’s actually hard to come up with No but I I think Brousette to me is like kind of makes sense for a low end He Brassette’s smaller Um but just from like his level of impact the way he plays like the tenacity the not so great on ball defense but solid offball defense it’s all very Bretti to me um high-end Fronze I I’m not sure if he ever gets to Fran’s level of playmaking Um but like I can definitely see that they just aesthetically their games look pretty pretty similar But I don’t know where we at gentlemen Jake do you want to jump in first yeah I mean I I loved some of the clips that Nick’s put up of like uh some of those Euros like he’ll stop pump fake step through looking a little like uh one of those the dough or Slovenians that’s living out in uh Los Angeles at the moment like he has that kind of wiggle to him but yeah the the again he’s so young and this is why he went 28 like he clearly has to clean up like connecting all of it together consistently uh O’Shea Brassette on the low end I’m trying to think of some guys that were signed today in free agency that like he Yeah that great great call Aldama nice um
nice contract for him 17.5 annual for2 or something like that
Yeah that’s nice Uh Aldama is a good a good call probably a little bit smaller than Aldama but like
yeah but but yeah just a a dude that can play off of stars make the right decisions Aldama became a really good shooter Um and obviously Yeah comps are hard though So I I appreciate you giving it a giving it a try here Spoon but I’m trying to think because like I know the shades of in the Go ahead Nick I I I kind of see like a young young um UB like if he can shoot then probably cuz he’s a uh he’s a he can defend like two or three and stuff that but I didn’t want to say his name because he’s like not that good but uh former Celtic um Abdul Na
Abdul Nada okay all right
his he just Hopefully he can shoot Hopefully But his like that doesn’t sound good [ __ ]
That doesn’t sound good That’s the low end of the low end That’s the low end That’s the low end And it’s like a solid guy who will play his heart out Um he’s going to cut off his rebound Like he’s going to give you everything Um but like comps for him is are pretty hard because like he does things very well and then like it’s his his finishing confuses me so much because he gets there I almost cry Like he he gets there with some actual craft and like his like some of the travels and like him taking his two steps It it it it bothers me sometimes So this kid has again he’s young as [ __ ] so it’s it’s normal right but um comps are pretty hard for him so thank you for trying but this is crazy
you’re welcome putting on so it is but just like on the things like things that can develop right like shooting has been a thing that you know Derek White I mean that’s a skill that a lot of NBA players have been able to improve on there’s also a lot of NBA players that have not been able to figure that out Jordan Walsh She’s kind of hoping to become someone that uh has done that I’m trying to find look at um some offensive rebounding potential like like for like forward numbers or or guard numbers that would uh yeah like Harrison Barnes is probably he’s too good of a shooter maybe but like that that bigger forward that can be a um
be a connector Okay I have I have one Don’t quote me
But like kind of like um Kyle Kosma where it’s like 35% from three big body and like rebound
Yeah Like Lakers Koozma when he gave a Okay Okay There you go
Not this version Not the guy who’s about to be out of the NBA version
We What can he be our Tummani Kamar is that in there on ball That’s going to be difficult But that’s the thing On ball That’s the thing He’s Yeah he’s more of a the off ball guy Um like
So he’s unique then is what we’re saying
He’s definitely basically definitely unique Kendrick Williams No he’s more of like Trey Lyles Trey L
Trey L is like a slower methodical guy but I don’t know Yeah it’s hard So he’s one of a kind Yeah comps are are always all the comps on the ringer were just like three different guys that were eiches and I’m like all right
And also like their comps were like ven diagrams that didn’t overlap sometime I don’t know what they were doing with those comps That was so confusing
Maybe a little is he is he a little as small as yakkakum no
All right I Yeah Yeah Well if you belong high end high
highend like Walsh
Yeah we we’ve we’ve we’ve got either Abdel Nater or Pascal Siakum Perfect
Love it
All right All right
Can we move on to Amari Jake yeah let’s let’s uh Amari I feel like this is your favorite player that we’ve uh picked up in the draft Nick who you did a video on Amari before the draft actually happened Is he the best passer in co in in the draft or is Young Hansen I know it’s Young not Hansen Yang now I think
Um
is is he a better passer than than Hansen Yang i think Flare I would go Yang but like just like pure like NBA style like the handoffs and [ __ ] Yeah definitely Um definitely go um like I again I love I love this player Oh my god we got film We got film Hold on Hey that’s a regular occurrence bro That’s a regular occurrence So um yeah No and uh I talked with uh Spoon on Twitter Uh Kentucky has this play where it’s like a doubles like double like Chicago where they set like two screens and then they come around and he’s just handing handing it off and like he’s strong He can screen and his pass is just insane So I love this pick I kind of call for it I was like “Hey can we pick Amabari?” And it and it it happens So yeah I love this player Um he is he is not perfect of course but um this player his his passing um hopeful driving um his strength um uh he averaged eight defensive rebounds so he can you know what I’m saying so hopefully this is a guy that gets a lot of time um because our center room is looking pretty bleak and that’s the only positive in my mind is that he might be able to play a lot Um
so yeah I’ll let you guys All right Spoony go ahead
Why could I not make this work there we go It’s the one on the It’s the one second from the right
All right I got it Yeah I I think um Okay so Omari like the passing’s ridiculous um in so far as like when he’s the high man the trigger man in like DHO’s it’s so good Like he reads back door cuts him and Kobe Brea who elite shooter Um they had really good chemistry when Brea was like coming out of the corner off pin downs for those Chicago actions and the super Chicago with the double the double stagger screen pin downs into the DHO Um and like I just think the we just lost Luke Cornett and a big thing about Cornet was his ability to work that DHO game to be the trigger man on the Chicago action stuff like that um to just like move the ball set a screen get it back hand off move the ball set a pin down get it back Not every big man is comfortable doing that stuff multiple times on a possession or making those reads at full speed And he’s really really damn good at it So I completely see the vision I also like he’s super left-hand dominant which is an issue
but the handle with the left hand is really damn good for a big man Hey he’s gonna he’s going to keep it a lot And like like if it’s with Tatum and all that that all that gravity and he just keeps and he goes and like it’s going to be perfect Now everybody’s going to look good if it’s Tatum right but this year we have to see right but he has traits that translate so well And something else is um I believe his free throw rate was like 74% like he gets to to the line a lot but touch is something that he needs to work on So if he was able to like hit 70% of his free throws that would be like a dominant trait But um yeah he’s like um at the rim if it’s not like him dunking is kind of questionable but I think Kentucky gave a lot of um a lot of post ups and he he doesn’t have post moves So if we cut that out hopefully that helps But yeah go ahead Jake
Yeah Yeah man Like it’s interesting because it does feel like his path to being an NBA player is is there It’s like he’s a really good drop big and and to protect the rim And it’s like okay he can just make the right read on offense and then he can clearly going to be able to catch lobs is athletic and [ __ ] huge and long and clearly has the like the ball skills to catch and make reads and make passes So I think in the pick and roll with someone like T even like someone like with Derek I can see Pritchard and him you know can we can we recapture some of that L
oh Luke Yeah
Yeah you know like they were like he like can he just kind of get comfortable finding those little spots along the baseline and um I feel good you know dumping it off to him and him That’s the thing though you just said it with the touch He’s got to just crank up the
Yeah
If when in doubt I just got to be dunking this thing And touch is something that you know we talked about it with Hugo Tatum never used to be able to make a layup either and he significantly improved at that at that uh skill as well So you can definitely improve at it but like if he can play solid drop defense be a connector on offense and kind of be a bit of a hub and catch lobs like it doesn’t feel like it’s out of the realm of possibility that this guy can be a rotation big in the NBA
Yeah Can I d can I dump some water on the fire here a little bit though
46 overall pick he’s going to be an NBA player How dare you but honestly I think for a 46 overall pick he’s got an incredibly high chance of being at least like a bench big And that’s a home run at 46 or like I can definitely see the vision The one thing one of the primary things that concerns me about him is that he was in an extraordinarily healthy ecosystem for a passing center in college College teams cannot shoot I’m a West Virginia fan We had Javon Small and Jonathan Powell Jonathan Powell can’t dribble but he can shoot and he shot like 35% And that was it Um Kentucky had Brea Almanor Butler Jackson Robinson OA and Chandler all at 35% or higher U which is unheard of in college to have six dudes who are like good three-point shooters So their spacing was like elite for a college team which completely like plays into his skills as a big man where he can work all those actions and they actually have space to make back door cuts A lot of teams you can’t cut back door because you’re just cutting into the center Not the case with Kentucky Um so I I am worried like this is the first season he was even kind of efficient I think he was like 58% true shooting He was like 56 was his highest before Um so there is to me some concern that like maybe this this was like his first truly like great year in college basketball He’s 23 you know playing in a in a perfect situation for him The flip side is like a lot of shooters That sounds an awful lot like the Celtics as well right
yeah Yeah And like I just think like just because he was 7 foot 260 like he had to play in the post He does not have post moves at all He has a drop step and an elbow That’s it So if we can take away some of those post take away all of them actually take away all of the post ups and get him into slips into rolls and he’s dunking the ball He’ll be so much more efficient And his job is simple His job is simple here So he’s not going to be like over over uh taxed and [ __ ] So if he just does the simple [ __ ] that he has that I see that’s translatable in in a in a uh in a scheme like Kentucky who like Brett was a phenomenal shooter Um Jackson Robson before before uh before uh before before he got hurt was a phenomenal shooter Um oh what’s Otega was is a finisher Like he’s athletic as [ __ ] So it’s like everybody was can shoot can cut It was perfect Again that does sounds like the Celtics So hopefully that can translate But if he just does the simple things it’s right there
Yeah And I think just with this season man I I’d like to give it a try And if the 46th overall pick pans out like the 46th overall pick then welcome to Boston Cameron Is it Cameron or just Camboozer is he full name full name Cameron
I don’t know
All right
Well it’s Cameron now Cameron Darren Peterson AJ Like
get like I don’t really want to see Luca Gaza playing minutes I don’t know Like maybe maybe
two deal
Two-year deal Like Brad’s done this twice now Once with Tilman and now with Gaza Um now the difference is now we’re out of the aprons and you can use that 3 point that 3 million or whatever it is 2.8 eight to aggregate in salary in trades I don’t know You could have just done that on a one-year deal I don’t really understand that Kaza deal at all because I I I would rather just see Amara play Amari play more I’d rather see I’m not a Kada guy but he has improved since coming to the Celtics and improved since coming to the NBA What you know development is there left to do let’s see what there is there Tilman does Tilman’s 26 years old Do you know that it’s crazy He seems like he’s 35
That seems generous Honestly as as someone that turned 32 today I w I I hope I don’t look like uh like Tilman anytime bro I mean god damn I’m looking like I got two ankle scopes on the right ankle I look I look like Tilman running around out there at the moment recovering from this ankle thing But it’s like
it’s a weird it’s a weird uh front court rotation I know Any other any other thoughts on Amari you guys want to get to
yeah I Yeah Nick I have you noticed him doing any short roll passing because I have that’s something I’ not really seen and I wonder if it’s just and frankly I did not watch every game or every minute of Kentucky games So like I just found there’s YouTube clips with like two hours of tape and that’s what I watched
Um not all of it but a lot of it I didn’t really see him operating in the short role much and I part of that’s probably because like you’re not trapping on the ball with against Kentucky right but I was just wondering if you caught any of that and if he was any good at it
No not too much Um I watched about six games The the next one I’m going to do is I’m watching uh Florida and Duke Um so I think Florida was like his best game He was dominant and Duke I saw his statue He shot like two for 12 So I’mma see I’mma see what the hell happened there
Malaw didn’t see a lot of short roll passing primarily because again like he was
the offense so he has it um a lot And
did they have no guards was that a thing i feel like I know that like they had shooting but they didn’t have guards like
dribblers I guess
That’s what I mean I guess Yeah
They had uh Kerr Chissa Ratfuck transferred from WVU to Kentucky You say rat [ __ ] What did you just say
yeah Yeah that’s what I said Like whose name was that
yeah My name is Kirk Kurt Christa He was He’s a point guard He’s been in college basketball for like 15 years One of those guys And he got hurt and missed basically the whole season So I think he was supposed to be the guy getting him in out of offense and he just didn’t play Um and and like Brea can’t Brea and Robinson who are both very good um and are shooters but they are not point guards at all So it was just like here you go Amari and we’re just gonna run stuff off ball Yeah Do you want Do you want to just guess quickly who’s played more minutes between Nim Kada and Luca Gaza in the NBA mimi Kada
Yeah Kada man 1,345 And Gaza has played 940 973 total minutes He has a player deal
Deal Experience man Experience man
He’s got a lot of room to grow boys Yeah I can play the same numbers for you
And he’s I think they’re the same age too And Kada’s like a few months younger Um just younger
Yeah Kada’s 25 I actually thought he was a bit older So Kada’s July 13th and when he turns 26 and um Luca Gaza turns 27 in December So
um about a year older Yeah So Amari yeah Nick any closing thoughts on Amari uh you’re a guy Um no I think we covered it all Yeah just the paint stuff and at the rim
dunk the ball please You’re athletic Dunk the ball Oh also uh defensively right so you talked about like um
him and him and drop right is probably the preferred scheme Yeah Um he’s a better vertical athlete than he is like going going uh sideways but the Illinois game um Illinois not noise Um
it’s a madeup name Made up name
He was guarding uh Will Raleigh a lot and like he held his like he held his own so many times So like he can switch if he has to Again not preferred but he has times where he’s holding his own Um and he’s he can move man like he like he he can So defensively drop of course um touch in the paint at the at the line please get better but passing like he’s there the rebounding he’s there like he knows how to do the stuff that he’s going to be asked to So just get better and I think he’ll be straight
Hell yeah man I want to see it I want to see Amari Hugo Baylor big three at summer league It’s gonna be
Shogunator
The Shogun Speaking of the Shogunator big schuls uh Spoon I I feel like I feel like you’ve got a special place in your heart for the sugar here So please So I I don’t really know what it is other than I so I watched the um the uh draft combine scrimmages and he was in there and I was basically like who the hell is that so I like ended up researching him a little bit before we drafted him
Um and I so I listened to game theory with um San Vini and and his buddy Bryce and like I really respect Bryce’s opinions He played college ball at a high level He had Max Schulga got 41 on his board and was like “This is a home run at 57.” So I’ve been digging in I know you have too Nick Uh look man Like that’s you know I got to hold on to something Jake
What is a home What is a home run at 57
uh he he’s like a good G-League I guess I don’t know
Well I guess Aaron Wiggins was picked 55 so yeah there’s plenty of guys Mason was 57 Ginobi
Ginobi
Yeah
All right That would be sick Um
yeah So so as someone that had never heard of him until he was picked like you start researching him I’m like “Okay well he was a good defender He has like a long track record of playing at least the on the
gets a lot of steals
Gets a All right here we go Um but has a track record of being a three-point shooter for his entire career Good rebounder He’s older.” So I always I’m like he probably should be you should be a good rebounder probably at um when you’re a bit older and you’re stronger than some of these other kids but like I don’t know he can shoot and impact the ball somewhat defensively or and like it gives you a chance at least Nick No Yeah Yeah he’s he can do it all on the offensive side Um again Brad if listen if you can rebound you might get picked because that’s what the Celtics love So yeah Um yeah he aaged 146 and5 this year Um he can shoot he can playmake um and he can rebound Uh he a 1.7 offensive rebounds two this season for a guard that is impressive as [ __ ] Um defense he competes is what I’ll say And ultimate backhand And uh and ECU they press a lot and he’s not like a great like athlete So it’s not the best show of him but he competes and he has great hands though I will say that he has great hands So um defensively he’s not going to be like a stopper Um he’s going to be smart Um have high um IQ but I think VCU like like he was pressing so like damn near all game and it’s just like he’s not he’s not that athletic So but so I think if we scale that back he’ll be fine
Yeah I I don’t know if I buy the defense I don’t I think that to me is like the biggest worry Um like
Oh yeah No Yeah it is for sure
Yeah Like he gets lost Not lost off ball I don’t really know It’s tough because I don’t really know what VCU’s scheme is right
he would cheat like crazy
Overcomit like [ __ ]
Yeah man Like insane Like taking absurd risks which is part of the reason he got a lot of steals But I mean he did get two steals a game like that is super valuable and shows you does have he’s not like a complete nothing on the defensive end So I don’t know if that’s scheme or what but like the offball stuff for me is like he’s in no man’s land way way too often But that’s very teachable and and I think I trust the Celtics to teach him that I just think the combination he’s not quick laterally and he’s pretty weak
worries me but he’s a 57th pick Like the offense is like real Um yeah like the the relocations and stuff like he’s really subtle He reminds me of Hower Look at that relocation Bang Wide open three Um his offense he missed it Yeah
I was like so expecting that to go in
that game Jake it’s the process Um so like I was ready Yeah Bang Oh Um
he’s got you know 38 39% from three He can make them So uh he’s somewhere between Baylor and Hower in the way he plays offense where I don’t think he has like the passing chops of Baylor but he has sort of the offball stuff of Hower and has a little bit of on ball juice kind of like Baylor So you can see like he’s smart He’s kind of like I mean this in the nicest way possible kind of an [ __ ] and like just the way he plays Um like he’s super super confident So I think he’s got a chance I really do
Yeah The defense kind of was like is he is he like can he do anything in in this like is he just like is he the ror in this like can he just is he like insane
allowed to do everything because you come off of shooters like real shooters and just go across the court I’m like what the [ __ ] like is co and and the coach says nothing I’m just like “Okay maybe this is just how he is and how he’s allowed to to play because when he was at uh Utah State I believe it was the same coach and they transferred.” Yeah they they transfer So I don’t know if he just has that authority with the coach he’s like “Yeah you go do whatever you want.” But the overcommits against shooters
we’re not having that [ __ ] So it’s it’s fine But okay All right Look at the at the minimum here this summer league team
Hey get this off the screen What is this
i’m just saying man He’s
Where’s he going
um look 57th overall pick
This summer league team better be kind of good because
uh they’re full of old guys you know you got Sha who’s older Um Amari’s a bit older as well right like he played four years in college Wow Ba
Baylor’s like 32 He’s like my age Like Jordan Walsh this is going to be his third summer league if he plays Like I don’t think JD Json’s going to be at the at the GLeague I hope for him he’s just not at uh not at the uh summer league So they for their sake they better hope that they’re somewhat good because summer league you don’t want to read too much into But at the same time if your team is full of like 24 year olds and a third year NBA guy you probably want to be pretty good And if they’re not then that’s I’ll just convince myself it doesn’t matter in that scenario But like that would probably not be a great sign for these guys Spoony
Yeah man Um I I do think this team has a chance to be pretty solid in summer league I will say about Schulga he’s going to be fun as hell in summer league because like he tries [ __ ] Um like he’s like throwing Rondo fakes out there and stuff like he’s the man Uh like I’ve fallen in love with Max Schilga even if I’m not totally sure he’s going to be an NBA player So um yeah dude Like I I think to me like Walshie going to summer league on his third year like I’m terrified for the guy man because you know he’s we’re huge fans over on personal floor
He looks bad dude Like that is not great Yeah I don’t I I love Walsh too I love Walsh And I think last summerly he just shot the ball bad like the first five games and then he finally shot and Yeah I don’t know But um yeah Shoga did remind me of like a smaller less productive uh uh shan but like he does everything on like he scores he shoots um he can rebound he can uh he can pass it He’s not the you know what I’m saying he’s not the greatest um athlete but if if if Walsh is like like shows no improvement then like that’ll be tough for me to swallow I swear
Yeah Ju just just keep hope alive Walsh That’s all we need We don’t we don’t need we don’t need much Just just u just find a couple fish on the island to keep us sustained for another week or two
cuz yeah if he comes out and struggles uh that’s going to it’s going to be tough Uh before we get out of here the
huge news coming through here The plum dog millionaire back to Charlotte
Oh nice
I feel like he he was in Charlotte before right at one point
Yeah
he was back in there Yeah So while we were going uh Luke Canard to the Hawks here
So
that’s the one team in the Eastern Conference that’s
going going for it like Porzingis Kil Walker uh Luke Canard Who am I missing that’s that’s obviously huge
That’s good
Yeah Massive And obviously Jaylen Johnson Risha year two jump like this team is now
coming They lost Capella but obviously don’t you got Congu and and Porzingis here
Yeah
Them and Denver and Houston are probably like the three teams that have made like real changes to their teams and feel like they’re in position to actually do something I don’t know Spoon do you want to pick a team you go Hawks Nuggets uh what was the other team I just said
rockets Rockets
Rockets
Yeah
I I think of going Hawks Uh yeah one like if you’re going to build a team around Trey Young this is exactly how you build a team around Trey Young You’ve got like all these wing defenders who can also dribble pass and shoot like with Dyson Daniels And like I love Nquille Alexander Walker there Like him and Dyson Daniels Like maybe neither of them can really play point guard but your ass is not scoring when they share the court without Trey Young Like and like we talked about at the end of the season Jake that Risha was kind of like why is he not the rookie of the year it doesn’t make a total lot of sense And he’s going to be in such a perfect position there especially with Jaylen Johnson back where like there’s just no pressure on him offensively Can kind of spread his wings a little bit I think they’re going to be really damn good Uh who knows what they’ll get out of KP but then they got Anka Kongu too to just like step in and start when KP is you know has the black lung or whatever
No 80 82 games I promise you he’s going to piss everybody up It’s going to be it’s going to be even worse Yeah he’s going to make the All-Star team play 80 games and then be healthy and make the conference finals and we’re all going to
light Latvia on fire Sorry Lat Go ahead Nick
Yeah No I like what Atlanta has done Of course uh the Rockets trading for KD uh signing Dorian Um I just can’t believe they traded they got KD and traded Green like that [ __ ] is amazing for them Um
but the Suns like they had no leverage at all So getting green and uh picking Malawak at 10
Yeah
that’s that’s cool And then you trade for u Mark and then um you you trade up in round two to get uh Fleming Um I like what the Spurs have done also like their draft was just insane To get Harper and Carter Bryant is just [ __ ] insane And then you take Luke from us which is
Yeah I just wish Well of course there’s no like
this is hindsight but like imagine they didn’t have like Fox and it was like
Castle and Harper and this super young team So you know I love them Um I like the Orlando trade for uh uh but they haven’t done much after that I think they signed Taj Jones but that was about it So you know there’s been some really good off seasons by some teams that uh Denver if they sign Al Yeah the that’s that’s Yeah the Spurs I wonder if they can try and get Fox on a smaller number and then they because like just to rebalance their roster they try and bring in I mean it’s crazy how much Jaylen Brown fits on that roster They they desperately need Jaylen Brown and that’s why the people are are down on Jaylen Brown’s value
He that archetype is so rare
Yeah
It just How many teams would be perfect right now if they had uh a 6’6 wing that can play on and off the ball and guard multiple positions like
they didn’t it’s it’s why Jeremy Grant is paid what he is because everybody wants him to be Jaylen Brown but he’s not Um it’s why Pascal Seakum was so good for the the Pacers like dudes that can play that three like two through four spot multiple spots and like yeah it’s and create tough shots in the playoffs literally like you just can’t find those guys So I’m I’m never going to be down on Jaylen’s value unless uh his uh his unless his body really starts to fail him which I don’t think it will
But yeah um Nick it’s been a pleasure to have you join the show finally If you haven’t subscribed to Nick NBA on YouTube breaking down the film you uh you got to get on to it But Nick anything anything to plug for you for for us before we get out of here
n man I ain’t got nothing to plug I’ve been a fan for such a long time so this was exciting Uh I like the party vibes man This is this is great man So um I appreciate y’all
Appreciate you Spoony anything before we get out of here
no thanks Nick Uh we are also fans of yours man So appreciate you spending the the evening with us And uh Jake Loravia to the Lakers was really annoying I feel feel like that’s a great signing Yeah Yeah Yeah But yeah I know they just like immediately replaced Finny Smith I don’t think he’s maybe
he’s not as good though Yeah Nick’s always doing our homework for us which is awesome Which is like diving into the Real Madrid film and educating us and all of Celtics fans It’s like a really really appreciated piece of content and like something that they’re you know we really need in the space is people that can actually break the game down as opposed to um yeah like you and Sony you actually know what you’re watching a lot of the time where it’s just vibesmen like uh me and me and Ben here just just hanging out and uh enjoying enjoying the good times But we appreciate you We appreciate you spooning everybody in the chat Good to see you kind of feels like the end of an era is happening in like while we’re talking right now but we’ll be talking about it all offseason Till next time go Celtics [Music]

Recapping all of the latest NBA Free Agency movements impacting the Boston Celtics, including Luke Kornet to the Spurs. Plus, @NikNBA joins us for a detailed look at Hugo González, Amari Williams and Max Shulga.

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