Boston Celtics add players before the trade deadline, sending positive signals about C’s culture

During the trade deadline, the Boston Celtics executed a number of around-the-margins moves that revealed a lot about their plans and team composition.

During the NBA Trade Deadline, there was nothing the Boston Celtics needed to do. They had the best record in the NBA, were largely healthy, and according to Tankathon, they have one of the easiest schedules going forward. However, they left with Jaden Springer and Xavier Tillman.

Though it’s not like the Cs went looking for that specific player archetype given their restricted resources, those two aren’t necessarily game-changers. However, the response to such actions appeared to be overwhelmingly favorable.

Both Tillman and Springer have a solid reputation for being defensively oriented. Although Springer has shown glimpses of his obvious talent as a shutdown wing defender, Tillman is the more experienced of the two. Better yet, while Springer is in the third year of his rookie contract, the Celtics added two players whose futures will be affected by Tillman’s Bird Rights this upcoming offseason.

They haven’t played since the Cs acquired them, most likely because Boston like to get their new players acclimated to their system before putting them on the court. The story of mid-season signings needing some time to adjust is as old as time itself. Although it seems like a long time ago, we can all still clearly recall Derrick White’s appearance.

But beyond the specifics of Tillman and Springer’s acquisitions and what might be anticipated from them moving forward, the Boston Celtics sent out other signals during the trade deadline.

Luke Kornet won’t participate in any postseason games for the Boston Celtics.
Luke Kornet’s transformation into a dependable rotation center has essentially become one of the Celtics’ more subtle storylines. He’s improved as a finisher this season, as evidenced by his 78% shooting percentage from the rim. His career-high true shooting percentage of 72.3% is further evidence of that. According to NBA.com, the Celtics’ defensive rating is 112.2 when he’s on the court and 109.2 when he’s off. That would appear to be an unfavorable impression of him. Even if the Celtics’ defense is poorer while he’s in, it’s still good since, according to NBA.com, their 112.2 defensive rating is only slightly lower than the Magic’s for the No. 6 defensive rating in the NBA. And we.

Unfortunately, Kornet has not shown much in the postseason. The fact that the Celtics have rarely let him to truly flourish during the playoffs shows how untrusting they are of him. Adding Tillman, who has significantly more postseason experience than Kornet, only serves to reinforce the notion that they still don’t. Even with how good he has been, Kornet lacks the defensive adaptability that Tillman provides.

Rotations ineluctably become smaller when the playoffs begin. Kornet would have been phased out anyhow, as the Boston Celtics would have given Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford the majority of their frontcourt minutes. With Tillman in the picture, all ambiguity about that sentiment has vanished. During the regular season, Luke Kornet has established himself as a dependable innings eater. To be honest, that’s all.