The Celtics need front court help, and Taj Gibson could be the answer

After failing to trade or draft an impact big man in the draft last week, the Boston Celtics are faced with a tough task this free agency. Right now their only bigs are Kelly Olynyk and Jordan Mickey, however, Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko both have non-guaranteed contracts that the Celtics have to decide on in the coming weeks.

One of the biggest needs the Celtics have this off-season is upgrading their front court, but that could be a challenge in a weak free agency class. Al Horford and Hassan Whiteside both have multiple teams pursuing them, and Kevin Durant is a long shot at best. It’s possible the Celtics will be able to attract Horford or Whiteside, although after the Atlanta Hawks traded Jeff Teague, it seems more likely that he’ll stay in Atlanta.

That leaves the Celtics with the option of trying to pursue a mid-tier big man in free agency, or trying to acquire one via trade. Trade talks between Boston and the Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler have been cut off, however, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pursue their power forward Taj Gibson.

With the acquisition of Robin Lopez, Taj Gibson and his expiring contract have become available. The Bulls have talked to many teams about trading Gibson to open minutes for second year player Bobby Portis and third year forward Nikola Mirotic. While the teams pursuing Gibson have not been disclosed, it would seem likely the Celtics were talking with the Bulls.

Unlike trading for a star like Jimmy Butler, the price tag for Gibson would be much lower. Reports have surfaced that the Bulls asking price is a first round pick and another player. That could easily be done as the Celtics could offer the lesser of their 2018 first round picks and one of their young guards.

With the departure of Derrick Rose, young point guard Terry Rozier could be an intriguing player for the Bulls. Rozier failed to see a lot of playing time as a rookie for the Celtics, and with the draft choice of Demetrius Jackson, he might fall farther down the depth chart. It would give the Bulls a young, high-potential guard looking for minutes, and help open up the Celtics back court logjam.

Even though we have yet to see Jackson play in Summer League, I’m confident he’d be able to assume Rozier’s role. Also, Rozier only saw 10.9 minutes per game in March when his minutes started to increase, and it would likely be the same amount of playing time next year. He’s not an offensive or defensive spark off the bench yet, he needs minutes to develop and that’s what Chicago would give him.

In return, the Celtics would receive a starting caliber power forward. Gibson has never been the team’s everyday starter, however, that was mostly due to the Bulls strong starting front court. Joakim Noah has always manned the center position and the Bulls went from Carlos Boozer to Pau Gasol when Gibson was expected to become the regular starter. Still, Gibson has started 72 games over the past two seasons.

While Gibson is a natural power forward, he has manned the center position during his career. It’s usually for little stretches as he only played center in two percent of his minutes last year, but in 2012-13 he played center a career-high 15 percent of the time.

When it comes down to it, Gibson is a solid contributor who would mesh well with all the Celtics three-point shooters. Mostly because Gibson isn’t a three-point shooter, in fact, he has only attempted 22 threes during his seven-year career.

Gibson is extremely athletic, which is why he likes to do most of his work in the paint. He’s not a great back to the basket player, although he’s one of the best finishers off offensive rebounds in the game and has a nice face-up game from 16-feet in. In his career, 45 percent of his shots have come in the paint, and 36.3 percent from 3-to-16 feet out.

He has always been reliable down low, but his jump shot has significantly improved throughout his career. After six straight seasons of shooting under 40 percent from 3-to-10 feet out, Gibson connected on 44.7 percent of his shots from that range. It makes him a great pick-and-roll option, and also someone who can compliment Kelly Olynyk or Jonas Jerebko’s three ball, or Jordan Mickey’s down low play.

Like previously noted, Gibson is extremely athletic which helps him on the offensive glass. In 26.5 minutes per game, he was able to bring down 6.9 rebounds and 2.8 offensive boards per contest last season. His per 36 minutes average ended up being the third-highest of his career at 9.4.

Defensively is arguably the strongest part of his game. He brings a lot of energy to the game, but he’s also very quick on the perimeter and has great leaping ability. Despite coming off the bench for most of his career, Gibson has averaged at least one block per game every season and at least two blocks per 36 minutes three times.

He’s not Hassan Whiteside or DeAndre Jordan, but players know they’re not going to get an easy layup when he’s guarding the paint.

As far as guarding the perimeter, Fred Hoiberg showcased his excellent perimeter play last year by playing him at small forward 11 percent of the time. The prior year, Gibson played there 17 percent of the time. It shows he’s a versatile defender who does a little of everything on that end.

Never being an everyday starter comes with some worries, but I would have more faith in Gibson than starting Kelly Olynyk, Jonas Jerebko, Jordan Mickey, or Amir Johnson. Besides, Gibson’s numbers significantly increase in the starter role.

Coming off the bench in his career, Gibson has posted 8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game in 22.7 minutes. Although, as a starter in 29.4 minutes per game – only 6.7 minutes more – he contributed 10.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks. It’s evident that he can thrive in either role, however, with his field-goal percentage increasing to 50.6 percent as a starter, Gibson would thrive being the regular starter.

He’s been waiting for his chance to be the everyday starter on the Bulls, but it doesn’t seem like it will ever happen. He’s loved in Chicago because of his hustle, tough defense, and the poster dunks he’s put on Dwyane Wade, and would become an instant fan favorite in Boston.

Gibson is only getting $9 million next season, making him a steal with the cap increase. Working on a long-term deal would be a good option for Boston if they traded for him, but they’d also not have to commit long-term if they wanted to try to go all-in next off-season as well.