With Gordon Hayward still nursing a hand injury, other Boston Celtics suddenly have a perfect chance to step up. But with so many youngsters in Celtics’ squad, it is not a surprise that veteran Brad Wanamaker has enjoyed an increased amount of playing time. What is however surprising to some including myself is how good he has been on the playing court for the Celtics.
November 20, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Brad Wanamaker (9) controls the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George (13) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Wanamaker’s wonderful performance is likely to give manager Brad Stevens selection headache once other injured stars are back to fitness. Many Betting sites in New Jersey are already taking bets on the 30-year old remaining a key player for the Celtics. And rightly so. A look at Wanamaker’s numbers against Brooklyn Nets which Celtics lost 112-107 shows in just 18 minutes of action he was only second to Enes Kanter among Celtics second unit. Wanamaker scored a total of 11 points, three assists and eight rebounds. Wanamaker was one of Celtics’ shining light in the match and he was the main reason why Brooklyn get a bigger win.
Wanamaker’s performance in the game against Brooklyn could see him better what Terry Rozier achieved last season as the back-up point guard. Wanamaker has come very far, the former Pittsburgh standout took his game abroad after going undrafted at the 2011 NBA Draft. Celtics signed him from Euroleague in 2018 but unfortunately for him he could only play 36 games in his first season but his talent was never in doubt.
His obvious talent made Celtics hand him another one year contract on July 17 this year. Many fans of the Celtics didn’t agree with that move and the news didn’t get the coverage it deserved as the big signing of Daniel Theis ( which happened at the same time ) took the shine. However, Stevens has had to rely on battle-tested Wanamaker as an important reserve due largely to the bench being filled with untested rookies, which include lottery pick in shooting guard Romeo Langford who has hardly been used so far this season.
“You know what you’re getting every day,” Stevens said about Wanamaker, “And he’s been really good. You can play with him with the ball, he can play off of it, he can guard bigger guys because he’s strong, and he’s very smart. So, he makes the other players around him better when he’s in the game.”
Nov 17, 2019; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) loses control of the ball against Boston Celtics guard Brad Wanamaker (9) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Earning just about $1.45 million salary for the current season, Wanamaker provides the Celtics good value for their money. With so much of their funds tied up to their main free-agent signings from the last few years ( talking about the likes of Hayward, Walker and Smart ), the Celtics do not really have much more to acquire the right sort of players in the open market during the offseason. But Wanamaker is turning out to be a bargain buy for the Boston Celtics.
