Former Celtics assistant shares insider report on team’s concerns of facing Nikola Jokic before shocking exit
Following a thrilling second-round matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, the Boston Celtics now know who their two potential NBA Finals opponents are. One former player recently revealed how the team feels about not having to face one specific superstar.
After battling back from down 2-0 to even the series 3-3, the Nuggets fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 7. Anthony Edwards and Co. will now battle the Dallas Mavericks for a shot at appearing on the game's biggest stage.
During a recent episode of his "Point Forward" podcast, Evan Turner touched on the reigning champs being eliminated. He said the Celtics were pleased by this result because they had no answer for Nikola Jokic defensively.
"I was talking to somebody from the Celtics and they were like, 'well s***, now we don't have to worry about Jokic,'" Turner said.
Turner is well connected to Boston, dating back to his playing days. Along with playing there for two seasons, he was briefly an assistant coach following his retirement.
Boston still has one more opponent in front of it before getting back to the finals. On Tuesday night, the Celtics took down the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals in an overtime thriller.
Boston Celtics still have big men they need to worry about
During the Boston Celtics' first-round matchup with the Miami Heat, they lost a key member of their frontcourt. Kristaps Porzingis suffered a calf injury and has been out ever since. Recent reports cited Game 4 of the conference finals as a possible return date.
Even though it no longer has to worry about Nikola Jokic, Boston is still far from in the clear. Depending on who represents the Western Conference in the finals, there could be multiple big men it'll need to slow down.
While they may not be of the same caliber as Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert are still impactful big men. If Boston doesn't have Porzingis in this possible matchup, its lack of size could be its downfall. Towns is an extremely versatile big with his outside shooting, and Gobert can be a force on the glass.
Later on during his podcast, Evan Turner mentioned that he brought up this issue with another former player.
"I was talking to the homie Jeff Teague and he's like 'well s***, who y'all got for KAT?'" Turner continued.
Anthony Edwards has gotten most of the shine during the Timberwolves' postseason run, but Towns has been a key contributor as well. During these playoffs, the former All-Star is averaging 18.8 points and 9.3 rebounds while shooting 44.0% from 3-point range.
Even with Jokic and the Nuggets no longer in the equation, the Celtics' frontcourt issues are still at large.