The Boston Celtics have a very peculiar roster right now. The team is led by the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but the true quality to compliment these two is not visible. While Marcus Smart, Josh Richardson, and Al Horford have their own advantages, however, they are not enough to truly compete with the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks. Additionally, the roster is too good for a tanking season, where the Celtics could possibly go for a high draft pick and select the third star to compliment Tatum and Brown.
However, if there was a chance for the Celtics to go into the 1990s and pick two players to slide into their roster, they could become instant contenders for the title. Thes two players should be John Stockton and Dennis Rodman. They would be amazing compliments for the two scorers on the wings and would make the whole roster gel in a certain way, where the leadership duties would be on the veterans, rather than on the 23-year-old Tatum and 25-year-old Brown.
John Stockton – perfect architect to the Boston offense
It is clear, when looking over the squad, that the Celtics really need a pass-first point guard. Smart and new addition Dennis Schroder have their strengths, but passing and running the offense is not one of them. Smart is a defensive rock, someone who can lock down a player and make sure they do not have a good game, with his defensive awareness and the incredible amount of hustle and effort. Schroder can take over the scoring on any given night if Tatum or Brown are having a bad night.
However, if the Celtics had someone like John Stockton to run the offense and make sure that everyone is involved, the whole team seems to look even better. Even without Rodman, the second addition from that era of basketball, Stockton would be able to completely turn it around for the Celtics. The former Utah Jazz point guard is one of the best at that position in the history of the game. He is the current all-time leader in assists and led the league in that category for nine years in the middle of his career.
It is not just about the numbers, since Stockton was so much more than that. His ability to keep his whole team in check and to make sure absolutely everyone is involved is something that we do not see today. It could be compared somewhat to Chris Paul or LeBron James, but even the two possibly best passers in the league right now are nowhere close to prime Stockton. Of course, his partnership with Karl Malone is legendary, but Stockton made sure everyone was involved.
Additionally, he was a solid scorer, meaning that he would slide right in with Brown and Tatum as a third option in terms of putting the ball in the basket. Stockton also led the league in steals for two seasons in his career and averaged good numbers in that category as well. He would be a good complement to the rest of the squad, meaning that Boston could have an amazing defensive line-up as well. Stockton just seems like the completely perfect puzzle piece for the Celtics.
Dennis Rodman – defender, rebounder, enforcer
While Stockton on his own would make Boston instant contenders, Rodman would make them favorites for a championship. The Celtics roster, as is, is very young and is hungry for leadership. They did bring in Al Horford in the summer, but that is not the type of leadership they need. Horford looks very calm on the court and that is great in certain situations, where cooler heads need to prevail.
However, for the other type of leadership, the Celtics need an enforcer. Someone like Charles Oakley would work too, but Rodman is just perfect. The former Bull and five-time NBA champion would be first in a scuffle, defending youngsters like Brown or Tatum. Since Tatum is similar in demeanor to Horford and he is becoming an All-NBA talent, he will probably attract a lot of attention from rougher players from opposing teams. With Rodman on the roster, they would think twice before trying some of the dirtier tricks to get Tatum off his game.
Regardless of their aspect, Rodman would also slide in great as a defender and rebounder. He led the league in rebounding seven times and he is regarded as one of the best, if not the best rebounders in the history of basketball. Additionally, the Worm has eight All-Defensive teams and he would be a great compliment to all the great defenders on the Boston roster. Just imagining a line-up of Stockton-Richardson-Brown-Tatum-Rodman is a defensive dream.
In addition to all that, there are two players on the Celtics squad that really need someone like Rodman. Schroder and Robert Williams are both capable of great things, but they have attitude issues. Right now, in the league, there are not many players that have the enforcing attitude of Rodman, as the last that really had that image about him was Zach Randolph. The problem, obviously, would be keeping Rodman focused, but when he is focused on basketball, he would make sure his teammates are following him.
While the Celtics cannot get these two players, this speaks volumes about the types of players they need. Boston with a defensive enforcer who does not take away from his scoring teammates and a third scoring option who is a pass-first point guard is very close to serious contention. Unfortunately for them, right now, they are in a position where mediocrity and short playoff trips seem like the reality.
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