Celtics Urged To Target Guard Who Had 43-Point Game In Playoffs This Year

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Brad Stevens noted after the Boston Celtics‘ season ended that he thinks his team needs to make a bigger impact at the rim, and he could be targeting players who can do just that in free agency.

“My general feeling watching us play in really each of the last two playoffs — the second round against New York, even against Orlando in the first round (last year) — was we had a hard time generating really good looks on that first shot,” Stevens said on May 6. “So we’ve got to figure out a way to do better in that, and I think that one of the things that we’ve got to figure out is how to have more of an impact at the rim. And I think we do need to add to our team to do that.”

Among the free agents available this offseason is Ayo Dosunmu. Dosunmu had a legendary performance against the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the first round of this year’s playoffs. He scored 43 points, shooting 13-of-17 from the field, going 5-for-5 from behind the arc. Dosunmu stepped up after Anthony Edwards hyperextended his knee in the second quarter. The Boston Herald’s Zack Cox thinks the Celtics should eye him in free agency.

“Dosunmu’s 43-point masterclass in Game 4 against Denver made him one of the breakout stars of these NBA playoffs,” Cox wrote on Wednesday. “The Timberwolves, who acquired the 26-year-old from Chicago in another of the Bulls’ many deadline deals, are hoping to re-sign him, but Dosunmu said he’s looking forward to testing free agency for the first time in his career.

“If he hits the market, the Celtics could use a guard with Dosunmu’s athleticism and ability to get to the basket. More than a third of his field-goal attempts this season (36.7%) were from inside three feet, right in line with his career average. Boston’s top five scorers all took less than 20% of their shots from that area, and White and Pritchard both were below 10%. Stevens wants to change that, specifically mentioning the Celtics’ need to “have more of an impact at the rim.”

He averaged 14.8 points and 27.3 minutes this season. He was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in February and was a key player for them after the trade deadline.

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