Center depth remains a concern for Celtics

The Celtics signed swingman Svi Mykhailiuk this past week to add another young and versatile player to their arsenal. Yet they still have needs as they prepare for a critical season.

Mykhailiuk, who has fared well against the Celtics, can stretch the floor with his shooting. With the acquisition of Mykhailiuk, the return of Sam Hauser, and addition of Oshae Brissett and rookie Jordan Walsh, the Celtics appear set at small forward.

There remains one roster spot, and the Celtics still have a void at center. Robert Williams and Al Horford return, but that may not be enough depth. Williams can’t be relied upon to play 70plus games, while Horford is 37 and showed signs of fatigue late last season, and he struggled mightily from the 3point line during the series loss to the Heat.

Luke Kornet will be at training camp, but he’s on a nonguaranteed contract and he lost the faith of coach Joe Mazzulla as last season progressed. It’s apparent the Celtics need a reliable third center to soak up minutes if Williams is injured or Horford isn’t productive.

Blake Griffin could be a candidate, but while he served as a stellar locker room presence, leader, and mentor for players, especially Payton Pritchard, his on-court production waned as the season went on. It’s uncertain whether the 34-year-old Griffin has much left to contribute on the floor.

Players such as Bismack Biyombo and Dewayne Dedmon are available and have played quality minutes for the past decade. However, neither is considerably better than Griffin, who did show flashes last season as a rebounder and hustle player.

The Celtics’ issue at center is created by the uncertainty of Williams. He entered this offseason healthy and has been working on his post game. But he’s played just 209 games in his five seasons, including just 35 last season. How many minutes per game can Mazzulla depend on Williams? He averaged 23.5 minutes last season and the club is not likely to allow him to approach anything more than 30. So, who can soak up those remaining 18 minutes?

Mazzulla could go with a smaller lineup with Horford or Kristaps Porzingis at center, but that lineup would lack a post presence. Horford’s post game has declined considerably, to the point where he was passing up open short jumpers. Porzingis always has been more of a finesse center, despite being 7 feet 3 inches, and is more comfortable away from the basket. Like Williams, there is also an injury concern with Porzingis, who will enter training camp next month coming off a plantar fasciitis injury.

So, the Celtics could use another rugged body in the paint, and there are a handful of players who would be considered calculated risks, such as Dwight Howard and DeMarcus Cousins, neither of whom played in the NBA last season.

The Celtics are wary of adding a veteran who may eventually complain about his role or playing time. They cherish team chemistry, and Griffin never complained about his situation last season, although he wanted to play more.

Griffin has not officially retired, and he recently gave a ringing endorsement to the Celtics’ locker room culture, after years of dealing with mayhem with the Nets. If the Celtics do decide to bring back Griffin, they need to determine whether he can actually help the team on the floor.

President of basketball operations Brad Stevens has struggled to build a productive bench, and he has been meticulous this offseason in adding players who will provide quality minutes, such as Brissett and Dalano Banton, and drafting Walsh.