Tacko Fall is turning heads in Portland and not just because of his height.
Of course, it’s almost impossible to talk about the big man without the conversation turning to that impossible-to-ignore big man’s prodigious vertical airspace but it is what made his presence in the NBA as a two way player for the Boston Celtics possible in the first place.
Now that the NBA G League season has begun in earnest, he’ll be spending most of his time in Maine with the Celtics’ G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, and he’s already having a massive impact on their young season.
What’s even more impressive is he’s not just using that extraordinary altitude to leave a mark on games.
“It’s so much easier playing with someone who is literally standing at the rim and can block pretty much everything,” said teammate and fellow Boston two way player Tremont Waters via MassLive’s Tom Westerholm. “There’s no sneaky quick finishes that other guards can get off [be]cause he is 7-7.”
In his home debut for the Red Claws against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Friday, Fall logged a double-double with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocks, bodying opponents out of the paint as much as he used his preternatural length to deter smaller players (read: everyone) from venturing anywhere near the cup.
Red Claws head coach Darren Erman also related how the Senegalian’s immense gravity warps the very flow of the game, making him more of an effective weapon than in his early Celtics appearances, where his comparatively slow footspeed makes him more of a novelty, at least at this point.
“Whenever Tacko is in the game, we know that people are pretty much going to play him,” he offered. “And if they don’t, we’re going to just give him the ball.”
This certainly hasn’t done anything to kill the anticipation local crowds have for seeing the UCF product on the court.
Chants of “We Want Tacko!” begin well before tip-off, and continue until he checks into the game. It’s enough to be something of a distraction, one Fall has learned to live with.
“It’s not easy, it’s hard,” said the former Golden Knight. “But once I get out on the court and I just pretty much get locked in. I try not to get distracted. Outside of that, it’s really hard. But once I’m on the court and I’m going up and down, I just want to play.”
There will be no shortage of playing time for the former Knight in Portland, and it’s almost certain he’ll burn through every minute of the 45 days his two way contract allows him to spend with the parent club as well.
Tacko Fall is swatting the souls out these G Leaguers 🤣 pic.twitter.com/cOHo2loEzq
— Whistle (@WhistleSports) November 16, 2019
While Fall doesn’t appear ready for Celtics head coach Brad Stevens’ rotation yet, it’s not inconceivable he develops his game enough to get some real burn in the event of a big man injury or two. To that point, several Boston bigs have already spent some time recuperating from early-season issues that have kept them out of games.
For now, it seems, those who want to get their Tacko fix in person will need to make the trip to Maine.
However, for those of you who aren’t up for the four-hour round trip from the greater Boston area, you can see Fall in every home game the team plays this season on NBC Sports, who will stream the tilts for your viewing pleasure (per Boston.com’s Chad Finn).