Chris Forsberg: Krstic a throw-in? Not for the Celtics

Chris Forsberg from ESPN Boston wrote a nice article on Nenad Krstic which focuses on how much of a pleasant surprise he has been for the Celtics. While the Boston - OKC trade was looked upon as Jeff Green being the main piece, Krstic's ability to score and grab offensive rebounds have surprised not only the fans, but even Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

Both Doc and Krstic himself would like to see Nenad tighten up his defensive skills, but thus far the expectations for Krstic have been exceeded:

While Celtics coach Doc Rivers acknowledged that he'd like to see Krstic toughen up a bit around the basket defensively -- maybe use that 7-foot frame to muscle opposing players away from the hoop before they receive the ball -- he did admit after Wednesday's game that Krstic had exceeded expectations.


Sure, the Celtics liked him a lot, but even Rivers isn't certain they knew he had this much talent.

"We wouldn't have done [the Oklahoma City trade] for one piece," Rivers said before Wednesday's game. "Jeff Green was very important in the trade, but so was Nenad. They both were.


"He can play, and I think people are being reminded of that."


Krstic harped on the fact that he needs more work on the defensive end. On a night when many would have been celebrating their offensive output, he pinned some of Boston's struggles on his acclimation to a new team.


"It's hard when you go to a new team, a winning team, who is trying to win a championship," Krstic said. "Coach gave me a chance, and I feel really bad because we lost. But I feel like, if he put me in and we struggled, I feel that it's because of me. I don't know if I'm where I need to be defensively."

Click here to read the full article on ESPNboston.com.