Boston Celtics Player Outlook 2012-2013: Kris Joseph
Today I begin our series on the outlook for each player who appears to be guaranteed a spot on the Boston Celtics roster entering training camp. We start with Kris Joseph, who was recently picked by the Celtics in last June’s NBA Draft. Joseph is a small forward from Montreal who attended Syracuse University for four seasons under head coach Jim Boeheim.
Joseph got better every year in college and is one of the rare four year players who decided to stay in school. Syracuse has always been an extremely efficient offense program and they play strictly a zone defense. Joseph was part of a very deep team last year where he was truly part of a team system and did not have to be the primary scoring option. That is not the type of player Joseph is. He is great at slashing to the rim and using his 6’7 frame to create contact and get to the free throw line. He is also a solid perimeter shooter who has improved greatly since his freshman season. He is a weak and streaky three point shooter, something he certainly has to improve on to carve out a comfortable niche in the NBA. It is hard to judge his defense and how it translates to the league because of the zone he played in college. He is going to have to prove to the Celtics coaching staff that he can play their style of defense because if he can’t, you can guarantee he will rarely see the floor. The Celtics value defense first and this is something that Joseph will have to make improvements in.
For this season, expect Joseph’s role to be rather limited. The green have a deep roster this year and minutes will be hard to come by. Paul Pierce is not going anywhere and the team has great depth in the backcourt. This can almost be viewed as a red shirt year for Joseph. He needs to get into better shape and learn from Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and of course head coach Doc Rivers. I think Joseph has the potential to have a long career in this league, similar to a Rasual Butler. He just needs to continue to develop and to make sure he takes in as much good coaching as possible.
Rob Lunder covers the Boston Celtics for Rant Sports. For all Celtics news, check out the Boston Celtics homepage on Rant Sports.
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