Would it make sense for the Boston Celtics to sign Michael Carter-Williams?

A case can be made that the team needs more ball handling in the absence of veteran point guard Marcus Smart.

Would it make sense for the Boston Celtics to add the 2014 NBA Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams to the team ahead of the 2023-24 season?

The Celtics have reportedly been focusing on wing depth options in recent weeks to fill one of their two regular and one two-way roster slots, but a case can be made that the team needs more ball handling in the absence of veteran point guard Marcus Smart.

Such a case is made by Sports Illustrated’s Ben Stinar, who recently pointed to Carter-Williams as “a capable facilitator”  for Boston to sign for that reason.

“Last year, the former Syracuse star played in four games for the Orlando Magic and averaged 4.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per contest while shooting 42.9% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point range,” writes Stinar.

While Carter-Williams’ per-36 minutes stats do hint at a solid facilitator in the minutes that the onetime Syracuse star was on the court, his lack of playing time for a rebuilding club like the Magic plus frequent injury issues do not scream that this is a match made in heaven. Neither does his relatively poor shooting numbers.

The possibility of it working out as a potential deep bench option is not out of the question, but a player with a more established track record such as Austin Rivers, Kendrick Nunn, Ish Smith or Terence Davis would all be safer options for Boston to pursue.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=590969556]