What is Greg Monroe's fit with the Celtics?


Greg Monroe has agreed to a 5-million-dollar deal with the Boston Celtics for the remainder of the 2017-18 season. He could debut for his new team as soon as Sunday, February 4th at TD Garden against the Trail Blazers. The questions surrounding his signing include: How will he be used? How many minutes will he see and at what position? How will his presence affect the development of the youngsters?


Right away, Monroe brings interior offense and rebounding. He has averaged 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds for his career. His post moves are superior and he is a tough rebounder. The video below shows how difficult he is to stop close to the hoop.



Admittedly, Greg has virtually no three-point shot and some question his defense. Coach Brad Stevens like his troops to be able to switch on defense one-through-five, and Monroe would have difficulty guarding the smaller, quicker players. I will use CelticsLife writer, Justin Quinn's analysis on Greg's defense.

His (Greg Monroe's) defense is not bad. It's on the low end of league average, he just has slow feet and can't be used in modern defenses as a starter without a few top-10 defensive guys...of which we have six. He'll be fine.

Greg has averaged 2.3 assists per game in his career and he is an under-rated playmaker. In the ball-movement Celtics system he may thrive, He certainly found a way to get it done in the video below:




We know that at this point Monroe can not stretch the floor and hit from deep. But he is such an interior threat on offense it will open up opportunities that are not there with Aron Baynes in the middle. We will see some twin-tower lineups with both Greg and Al Horford in the game at the same time. Daniel Theis has been remarkable in his rookie season and will continue to progress, but his use in the post season may decline somewhat in favor of the veteran, Greg Monroe. But Brad Stevens will ensure that Greg's addition to the team doesn't hamper the progression of his young guys.

After getting acclimated to the Celtics system, I see Greg picking up 18-20 minutes per game. That floor time may increase in the post season, or even sooner depending on his fit and production. I envision both Aron Baynes and Marcus Morris seeing fewer minutes. And the team may be slightly different five days hence.

In his mind, at least, Danny Ainge is not done dealing. The trade deadline is five days away, and I believe he is looking to make one more move prior to that date. Gordon Hayward's return this season is certainly still up in the air. Marcus Smart is dealing with issues beyond a lacerated hand. Boston has taken a large step forward with Monroe's signing, but if a triple threat scorer/playmaker/defender is out there (Tyreke Evans?), the Celtics could use him. As I wrote previously in CelticsLife, wouldn't it be great to have Greg Monroe, Tyreke Evans and Gordon Hayward for the playoffs?

Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC

Photo via Matt Stone/ The Boston herald

Monroe passing video via NBA
Monroe offense video via whodey