With the NBA playoffs in full swing, that’s the only thing the Boston Celtics should be focusing on for now. Their goal is to take an 18th Banner to Beantown, and with a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks ahead of them, they must focus on defeating the reigning champions.
However, the front office has many other things to take care of. The rest of this season is completely out of their hands at this point. Brad Stevens and the rest of his crew have put together a great squad and now it’s up to head coach Ime Udoka and the players to do the rest of the work on the pitch.
But with the off-season approaching, the front office is already preparing to get busy. The Celtics don’t have a lot of room to work with and most of their roster will still be under contract next year, but they could still try to add a piece or two around the edges. And on top of that, they still have the NBA draft to worry about.
Stevens traded Boston’s 2022 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs in the trade that landed them Derrick White, but they still have a second-round player to field. And according to recent reports, they’ve already begun drafting potential draftees, one of whom happens to be a New England college legend.
Sea Joe Kayataa sports anchor and reporter for WJAR-TV NBC-10 and confirmed by Adam Zagoria by Forbes, Bryant senior Peter Kiss will coach for the Celtics on May 3rd. Kayata also announced that Kiss would practice for the New York Knicks on May 15.
Kiss is a 24-year-old senior who finished his college career at Bryant University (a private university in Smithfield, Rhode Island) and guided them to their first-ever appearance at the March Madness tournament. They were eliminated in the First Four, but before that they had never had any postseason experience. In Kiss’ two years at the school, they went 25-6 together. Bryant had his first two winning seasons since 2014-15 with Kiss at the helm.
Before joining Bryant, Kiss spent time at Quinnipiac and Rutgers. He played at Quinnipiac as a true freshman before joining Rutgers and starting his first season as a red shirt. Then, after a full season at Rutgers, he wore a red shirt again in his senior season before joining Bryant.
Overall, Kiss was in college from 2016 through last season and has played a total of 112 collegiate-level games. But as wild as his journey through the college ranks was, he ended it with a bang.
In his senior year with the Bulldogs, Kiss averaged 25.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from behind the three-point line. Kiss led the nation in scoring while also leading Bryant to a chance at a tournament offer, as mentioned earlier.
At 6’5, Kiss is an energetic guard who knows how to get buckets. However, as NBA Scouting Live pointed out, he also has his fair share of errors. First of all, Kiss doesn’t have much experience with high-profile competition. While playing at Bryant, he didn’t get a chance to play against many top-flight schools and never really competed against many NBA talents.
In addition, his three-point shot is anything but constant. Kiss excels in midfield and driving to the basket, but whether that translates to the NBA remains to be seen. And while he’s a solid defender, averaging 1.9 and 1.7 steals respectively in his two years at Bryant, as mentioned, he’s never been against the top talent.
Kiss’ suitability for the Celtics would be questionable, but if Boston picked him up it’s almost certain he’d spend plenty of time with the Maine Celtics before he gets a chance on the main roster. With his innate scoring skills and high motor skills, it could be worth taking a risk against the New England legend.
