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Jordan Mickey Summer League Play Analysis

Hi everyone. Lately, I started a series to take a deep look at young Boston Celtics players and see how they did in summer league. I've already wrote about Marcus Smart, James Young and RJ Hunter. Thanks again for all kind words! This time, it will be Jordan Mickey.

Taken with 33rd pick, he was the most exciting player from this year's draft for many Celtics' fans. The reason? Mickey is a legit shot-blocker who can protect the rim and that kind of player wasn't seen in Boston since... Bill Russell Greg Stiemsma maybe? Mickey proved he can block shots and get himself a nice guaranteed deal ($5 milions / 4 years, only first two are guaranteed, however Mickey is still getting paid more than RJ Hunter who was taken five spots earlier) what has been reported as a largest deal for a second round draft pick ever.

The Celts have picked three guards and only one big-man in this year's draft. You could say it's no surprise since they have a logjam at 4/5 spots, especially with David Lee and Amir Johnson additions. However, there's a logjam at 1/2 spots as well and one of the biggest need is still rim-protection. So it's kinda surprise they decided to find a shot-blocker in the second round of the draft. It turns out they found a hidden gem.

Jordan Mickey was the best shot-blocker last year in nation. He averaged 3.6 blocks per game and yet he's still labeled as "undersized". Here's a comprasion: Brandon Bass, who started more than a half games last season for Celtics is just the same height as Mickey. They both stand at 6'8". But there's one big difference - Mickey's wingpsan. I find it hard to believe that some might still not respect Mickey and his long arms.

Mickey's wingspan is really impressive. 7'3.25" measured at NBA Draft Combine was the top10 result. Of course, wingspan isn't everything and you must have good timing and body control to block shots efficiently. Luckily, Jordan Mickey has it all. He's the best shot-blocker on the Celtics team and it's not even close. And, what may be more important, he isn't just a shot-blocker. He brings to the table a lot more than you could expect.

Of course, it's just summer league play and he has a long ways to go as well as he'll have to make a lot of adjustments to be succesfull in the NBA but Mickey is showing early signs of being capable to help Celtics' in variety of ways. We know he can block shots. He can also rebound and finish at the rim. He's long, he's agile, he's quick, he's atletic. If he can't adjust to the NBA, who can? Overall, in this year's summer leagues he averaged 12.2 points on 54.2 FG%, 7.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.

Blocks

This is some really impressive stuff. The one thing you should notice: most of the sweats end up in his teammates hands. To block a ball and gain a posession is something truly valuable. Mickey's combination of height and quickness, along with solid awarness makes him great defender. He seems very comfortable in the paint, knows where the ball is and reads the game surprisingly well. And those long arms can be very helpful with steals, too.

Since his college days, Mickey showed the potential to guard multiple positions thanks to his quickness and agility. It's not a problem for him to guard smaller players and it shows up especially on the pick-and-roll plays where he can successfully hedge and recover. He is great both on and off-ball, doing pretty everything on the defensive end of the floor. Add to that list rebounding (he averaged 9.9 RPG last season at LSU).

Rebounds

Putbacks

As you can see, he does a nice job on the offensive glass as well, attacking the rim and using long arms in tip-ins. However, he needs to add some lower body strength but he has time to brace his frame which should help him not get over-rebounded at all. In terms of offense, Mickey showed nice potential as a effective finisher around the rim. He's quite explosive and those long arms help him to protect the ball as he managed to make some tough shots.

Scoring at the rim

Forget about the post-up plays. Mickey does not have a skillest and enough power to be a threat from the post (he did hit fadeaway a la 14-years old Dirk Nowitzki though). He looks much better as a face-up driver, using his excellent first step and solid footwork to drive past big defenders. He displayed that doing Okaforish things on Jahlil Okafor. His ball-handling is just average as he seems to dribble a little to high (this is another problem with the post-up play) but Mickey is a legit big man who can drive to the basket and that gives him some potential also as a pick-and-roll player.

Face-up plays

Pick-and-roll plays

I think pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops will be areas where Mickey should and will be utilize most often. He's quick enough to get to the basket, using this nice first step and good hangtime. He also sets nice screens and has a nice shot from the mid-range (50 FG% on the 68 mid-range attempts last year at LSU). Of course, he's not gonna be Brandon Bass but he has potential to be a decent shooter, especially with that smooth release. He's not a threat from the 3-point line and he probably won't be, however if he has a space and time, he's gonna shoot it and make it. This should help him to stay on the court in times when spacing became one of the most important thing in the basketball.

Pick-and-pop plays and mid-range shots

And it's probably a good thing these young Celtics like to play up-tempo under great Brad Stevens because Jordan Mickey runs fast and often gets rewarded for it). Tommy Heinsohn is going to love this kid. Mickey looks great on fastbreaks, using his speed to get ahead of other team's defense and score an easy bucket. The one thing he can't do is the passing (hey, just like the No-Pass Bass!). He was one of the worst passer in this year's draft class and this is something worth to keep an eye on just because of the Brad Stevens' system. However, I think if he'll manage to just move the ball, he'll be fine.

Some people would say that after getting contract, he had stopped busting his ass off. It is something that was sometimes bring on in his LSU days, as his didn't always play with the same intensity and had a problmes with consistency. Still, I do not think this is gonna be a problem in the NBA, especially knowing Mickey's work ethic. It was reported that he's studying Dennis Rodman's game to improve his rebounding ability. Is there a better example in terms of rebounding than a guy is even smaller than Mickey and yet averaged over 15 rebounds per contest for seven straight years?

Right know, I am not sure what to excpect from Jordan Grayson Mickey in his rookie season. The roster is crowded and who knows what Stevens and Danny Ainge are up to. Mickey still has a ways to go and may need some time before he gets a real chance but I think under right circumstances he can be a huge key for Celtics' defense that already have great perimeter defenders in Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder. And if he can develop into a solid mid-range option, along with his good ability to finish around the rim thanks to athleticism and long arms, I think he won't be such a liability on the offensive end of the floor as some might think before the draft.

If you liked this post, give me some feedback - I really appreciate it! I'll be back with one last analysis about Terry Rozier's play since I am pretty well prepared for them (doing it for the biggest Polish site about Celtics). Thanks for reading!

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