Boston Celtics Luke Harangody May Be More Important Than You Think
[picappgallerysingle id="8260701"]The Boston Celtics roster still has one remaining spot. Paul Pierce may not have been right to have made his comments about the roster public, but he is right. The Celtics have a definite need for a true small forward. Do not get me wrong, I like Daniels at that spot. I believe at times that he has the length with his long arms to cover most small forwards in this league. I also believe that he will score a lot more points this year as well now that he is not setting up the second unit offense. I also believe that Von Wafer can handle some minutes at the three. If the lineup goes small, he could provide some athleticism and scoring should Wafer play like the Wafer of 09. However, at times the team is going to need a man that is a small forward by trait. The Celtics will need a guy that can both shoot and score in the paint. More importantly they will need a man with the true body frame for their defensive sets. Right now that job is in the hands of a rookie. That rookie is not even a high first round pick. A lot has been made of the Celtics plans for Avery Bradley at the point guard. Right now the most important rookie is Luke Harangody.
This is the type of situation that makes Doc Rivers cringe. Doc does not enjoy playing young players in big time situations. The lone exceptions are Rajon Rondo (He had zero choice in 08) and Glen Davis. Rondo had to start because the team had zero money left for a point guard after the formation of “The New Big Three”. Davis really was not used in too many big situations, but injuries forced glimpses of Davis. Davis showed glimpses of potential and found his way into a larger role in 09. The same could happen this year for Harangody.
The team has no real backup for Pierce. Granted most of Boston’s sets will have Pierce, Allen, or Rondo on the second unit at times to make Marquis Daniels the defacto backup for Pierce or Allen. This does not mean that Harangody will not see action. If injuries occur like in 2010, Luke Harangody will get a chance to show his worth. If the team needs a larger frame to defend, Harangody is that man right now. If foul trouble occurs, Harangody will see minutes. Looking at these possible scenarios, it is easy to see Luke may just get a chance to shine.
The question is can Luke help this team? The answer is a resounding yes. Luke is not a young player coming into this league. He played all four years at Notre Dame. He was a great college player. He was a meat and potatoes type player that worked hard and got the most out of his skills and talents. Every year in college he got better. He rose from an 11 points a game freshman that scored more on his hard work in the paint to a scorer with a reliable mid range jump shot that scored 20 plus a game. The man worked his butt off. Even after a great junior year, he knew he needed to work on his shot. That work ethic on the improvement of his game showed enough to be drafted by Boston in the second round.
The summer league showed Ainge might have uncovered another late round gem. Harangody was easily the best player on the court for most of the summer league games. Luke showed a great mid range jumper and a nose for rebounds. I know Boston had a problem rebounding, I know this guy has had zero problems grabbing rebounds on any level he has played at. Granted the talent level at the Summer League is nowhere near NBA quality. However, in order to be an NBA caliber player, one must outshine those that have skills, but are just not NBA material. Harangody did that. The last guy that played like this during the Summer League was Glen Davis. He turned out to be a solid contributor to the team.
Bottom line is a lot has made of the Celtics need for wing help. Pierce is begging for a backup. Maybe, the reason Ainge has not pulled any trigger yet is because of the promise that Harangody has showed. If Pierce can mentor the young lad like KG did Davis, then maybe the answer is Harangody at small forward. The work ethic the kid has is great and his skills are solid. Pierce’s training would put him over the top. If the backup small forward answer is Harangody then Ainge will once again prove that no one drafts better late than Danny Ainge.
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I agree completely! Harangody can definitely contribute immediately. He has shooting range, good fundamentals, and most importantly a nose for the ball. His game reminds me of Leon Powe with a jumper.