Boston Celtics taking unique approach with Abdel Nader

NBA teams are consistently searching for strategical advantages in all facets of their organization and take different approaches to team building. Some teams venture heavily into free agency, others are always named mentioned around the trade deadline, but almost every single NBA organization knows the draft is where to most championship teams are built.

In the 2016 NBA Draft the Boston Celtics had accumulated six of the 60 overall selections and while no one (even Danny Ainge himself) thought they would keep all of those picks, they did. While the organization elected to make each pick, only two of those picks are currently on the roster — Jaylen Brown and Demetrius Jackson. Due to a winning team in place and roster restrictions, first round picks Ante Zizic and Guerschon Yabusele headed overseas to hone their skills and second round pick Ben Bentil was waived after training camp.

Teams who are willing to adapt are usually the ones who stay ahead of the curve. In this instance, six draft picks caused the Boston Celtics to do something for the first time in their storied franchises history — use the domestic draft-and-stash option. The Celtics’ NBA D-League affiliate is the Maine Red Claws and prior to selecting Nader late in the second round the belief was that his camp was willing to put Nader in Maine for his rookie season.

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After a strong summer league — where he outplayed both Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil — concerns arose over whether or not Nader and his camp would hold to that agreement. In the end cooler heads prevailed and Nader is using his rookie season in the D-League to develop in all areas of his game. Nader was only a starter during his senior season at Iowa State posting 12.9 points and five rebounds over the 35-game NCAA season.

Dave Lewin — Boston’s director of player evaluation and Maine’s general manager of basketball operations — had his eyes of Nader long before his senior season. Lewin told The Step Back, “We were aware of him even when he was at Northern Illinois. It was clear once he got to Iowa State, he had gotten in much better shape. It’s not easy to find versatile guys at 6-foot-6, who can shoot, dribble and attack the rim. We brought him in for two spring workouts and he outplayed many of the first round talents we had there, and we knew we wanted him.”

Maneuvering six draft picks in one season is a tricky ordeal, so using Maine as a vessel to develop Nader seemed like the ideal fit for now. Lewin spoke very highly of Maine saying, “We knew that he would fair well in the D-League. The system we have in place is consistent with Boston’s, the coaches work very well with players and we knew this was the best way our franchise could invest in Abdel and get him ready for the NBA.”

The move seems to be paying off so far; through 20 games Nader is one of the top players in the entire NBADL. He’s averaging 22.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 39.8 percent on 3-pointers. Consistent outside shooting will be key for Nader moving forward as that skill is a driving force for his future success. His college sample size was relatively small so translating the deep ball to the professional level is vital. Abdel’s scoring prowess has been stunning to watch and he’s much more than an outside threat as he’s shooting almost 53 percent on 2-point shots and almost 58 percent in the restricted area.

In the clip above you can see his release stays nice and high in the shooting pocket, which allows him to get shots off with rapid succession; many times with defenders flying at him. Honestly, it looks a little like Klay Thompson’s motion, because he does not dip the ball even the slightest bit. He’s able to keep his mechanics smooth and the catch-and-release stays the same whether he’s open or not.

This game-winning 3-pointer is from the D-League Showcase last week. He uses the screens set for him very well and is able to use great footwork to get his body turned, so he can release the shot quick. Again, he catches the pass with the ball already locked and loaded in his shooting pocket allowing him to raise up and knock down the 3. The mechanics he has displayed so far in the D-League have been spot on, so that consistency should easily translate to the next level.

Above average shooting was an expectation for the Celtics in regards to Nader, but they have started to turn him loose handling the ball much more as well. Since Damion Lee went down with an ACL tear, Maine has been experimenting with Nader running the point and initiating the offense, and he, and the team, is thriving. His one bugaboo, even dating back to his NCAA days, has been turnovers. His senior season at Iowa State his usage rate was 21.47 percent and his assist-to-turnover ratio was an abysmal 0.68 as he finished the season with 79 giveaways and only 54 assists. His role in college was not as a primary ball-handler, however those numbers are a bit troubling.

Now, his usage rate as the primary player on Maine has skyrocketed to 29.30 percent and while his assist-to-turnover ratio has gone up to 0.94, it still shows his issue with turnovers is real. Through 20 games he has already amassed 75 assists on the season and he boasts an assist rate of 20.37 percent. However, he also has 79 turnovers with a turnover rate of 17.66 percent. The silver lining is that his turnover rate has only risen a slight amount (16.94 percent last year at Iowa State) in connection to his rise in usage. Since moving to primary ball-handling duties however, his assist rate is through the roof at 30.3 percent and his assist-to-turnover ratio is up to 1.18, so those are both great indicators moving forward.

Clearly, Boston is using this year in Maine as an experiment of sorts for Nader, a sort of let’s-see-all-he-can-do type of season, which is perfect for his long-term improvement. While those turnover statistics sound bleak, his playmaking has been off the charts. Nader has great vision for a 6-foot-6 wing and most of his turnovers are correctable with experience.

Watch here as he splits the defense with a nifty behind the back dribble, attacks the paint and finds his teammate Jalen Jones with a beautiful wrap around pass.

Here he drives the lane out of the pick-and-roll, draws multiple defenders and finds a wide open Jones for 3.

This play doesn’t jump off the page as a “wow” type of play, but the simplicity is what makes it impressive. Nader simply drives right, gets the defender leaning, spins and instead of forcing up a bad shot, finds an open Jason Calliste for 3.

The culture and atmosphere in Maine is important to note. Coach Scott Morrison is in his third year with the team and he’s fostered an attitude of inclusion which is contagious to anyone who plays there. Most NBADL teams have extremely high turnover, but the Celtics and Maine have worked in conjunction to bring in high character, team-first players who fit their system and it has certainly been fruitful.

This atmosphere, and the direction and confidence instilled in Nader from the Celtics, has allowed the 23-year old to really focus on what matters for the future. Lewin shared what he told Nader going into the season, “The biggest thing is preparing to be a role player in the NBA. Most guys from the second round or D-League aren’t going to be playing 35 minutes a night in the NBA. We told him to focus on defense and making an impact on that end of the court, because it starts there for Coach Stevens.” Watching Nader, it’s fairly easy to see he’s taken those words to heart as his energy and effort are never lacking.

Lewin continued with his advice for Nader, telling us, “We told him to improve as a distributor and lower his turnovers. It’s important to avoid lapses on offenses and avoid costly turnovers wherever possible. He’s really just sanding off the rough edges and molding himself into an NBA role player. If he can show quick, efficient decision-making skills that will help too.”

So, the Celtics knew they were getting a versatile wing, with 3-point range, solid defense and a tendency to turn the ball over. What has surprised them in regard to Nader? Lewin quickly shot out, “His combo of length and athleticism. He drives to dunk; and dunk in traffic! Fans who haven’t seen him much will be surprised at his aggression attacking the rim, definitely.”

This drive by Atlanta Hawks’ rookie Taurean Prince is exactly the kind of surprise Lewin was talking about. Now, nobody steps in on defense in this instance, but just key in on the explosion Nader shows on this monster two-handed flush.

Nader has really shown the ability to finish strong with his left around the rim as well. In the following clip he drives left and attacks Edy Tavares — one of the league’s top shot blockers — but instead of trying to hammer it down, shows finesse in switching to the lefty layup.

He’s also shown a propensity to drive right, get his defender on his hip and drop a quick spin move to finish lefty.

You’ll quickly notice, Nader does not have elite quickness, so using his body to his advantage is a legitimate skill he has developed.

The ability to feel the exact moment when your opponent is most vulnerable is an admirable trait, and one that is usually innate.

Nader is always up for a challenge too. Here Prince is guarding him again and he pulls back with an eye to take him one-on-one, but once Mike Scott switches, he doesn’t mess around with theatrics, he simply blows by him for the easy deuce.

Right now Nader is the leading candidate to win D-League Rookie of Year honors and while NBADL success does not always equate to NBA success, Nader possesses all the tools to do well. Boston is a quality NBA team and are currently also the eighth youngest team in the NBA, so opportunities could be few moving forward.

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However, currently the Celtics only have 11 players on the books for the 2017-18 campaign with seven of those guaranteed, three non-guaranteed and one qualifying offer (Kelly Olynyk). That leaves four open roster spots to be had — two more if you include the new two-way spots — and Nader will surely want a crack at earning a spot next season.

The Celtics could use a quality 3-and-D wing off the bench and Nader looks like he could be a steal for Boston moving forward.