The Boston Celtics continued to show they’re one of the league’s most promising up-and-coming teams, and despite coming up just shy of their ultimate goal of making it to the Finals, they’re a team that’s loaded with talent and has the chemistry and camaraderie required to compete with the NBA’s elite.
When the 2020-2021 season tips off on December 22, they’ll enter as one of the favorites to win the East, a goal that will largely hinge on their star trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker, but is dependent on an arsenal of versatile role players who proved their worth last season.
It’s difficult right now to gauge exactly where beloved rookie Tacko Fall fits into that equation just yet, but he and the rest of us are hoping to see much more of him in the near future as he tries to build on a modest rookie season in which he instantly stole the hearts of everyone in the Boston area and elsewhere. And the feeling is apparently mutual when it comes to his adopted hometown.
Fall told Trevor Hass of Boston.com recently that he’s quickly fallen in love with the town and that he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his career there.
“I tell a lot of people, if I could retire here, I probably would,” Fall said.
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“You can tell when someone really wants you and believes in you,” Fall said. “That’s something that I really felt from Boston right away.”
The 7-foot-5 Fall appeared in just seven games during his rookie year with the Celtics, but each appearance drew massive cheers from the home crowd, along with most of the NBA-watching world. He spent the rest of his time with the Celtics’ G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, where he averaged 12.9 points. 11.3 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game.
Fall also forged a bond with many of his Celtics teammates, especially Jaylen Brown and Enes Kanter, who continued to help him with his swimming lessons in Orlando. We’re all hoping to see more of him on the court next season and find out just what he’s capable of if he can earn more opportunities to prove himself.