{"id":93177,"date":"2021-11-29T13:54:59","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T18:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=93177"},"modified":"2021-11-29T19:34:23","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T00:34:23","slug":"enes-kanter-freedom-becomes-surprising-celtics-bench-boost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=93177","title":{"rendered":"Enes Kanter Freedom Becomes Surprising Celtics Bench Boost"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your Celtics net rating leader through 21 games:\u00a0Enes Kanter Freedom\u00a0<\/strong>(+16).<\/p>\n

Broadcasters, writers, jersey makers and fans alike will need to adjust to Kanter’s name change, as his teammate’s sang Beyonc\u00e9’s\u00a0Freedom\u00a0<\/em>in the pregame tunnel on Sunday ahead of the Celtics’ 109-97 win in Toronto. Once an afterthought on this roster, he’s now playing regularly through\u00a0Robert Williams III’s\u00a0<\/strong>absence and providing some of the most impactful minutes on the team. He posted nine points, 10 rebounds, a steal and a block in Toronto, and projects to impact the Philadelphia game as a big body against\u00a0Joel Embiid\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Andre Drummond<\/strong> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Kanter became a US citizen Monday, which the team congratulated him for off the court last week. He’s rarely been available to the media amid his protest against China, which\u00a0Ime Udoka <\/strong>has said goes unmentioned inside the team and that he has the right to do it. Udoka initially viewed Kanter defensively as incompatible with Boston’s switch-heavy scheme and sat him for the team’s first 13 games. Then, he entered the game on Nov. 15 in Cleveland when Williams III departed with knee pain, pouring in two put-backs in eight minutes.<\/p>\n

“That’s who Enes is, it’s part of him, the name change,” Udoka said. “He’s passionate about his stances. You look at Artest and guys that have done it in the past. It’s something he wants to express and we’re all for it … he’s a guy that stepped up and was ready to play when his opportunity came up with Rob being out, and that’s all we really talked about … he’s been great lately.”<\/p>\n

He’s since played in seven games with positive minutes in four of them. His big-body screens remain a favorite for\u00a0Jayson Tatum\u00a0<\/strong>to dance around. Against a team like Toronto, his nearly unmatched pressure on the offensive glass limits a team that wants to get out in transition by forcing box outs. While his touch isn’t the best around the rim, he consistently finds shots inside that the Celtics offense needs. His 5.4 points over 14 minutes matter, as do second and third-chance scoring opportunities.<\/p>\n