Vincent Poirier: Five Things to Know About the New Celtics Center
By Liam McKeone
The Celtics have been completely re-tooled in free agency, signing Kemba Walker to replace Kyrie Irving and bringing in Enes Kanter to help offset the departure of Al Horford. They were still in dire need of some bodies at center until it was announced on Tuesday they’d be signing Vincent Poirier, a French center out of EuroLeague. Here are five things to know about the newest member of the Boston Celtics.
Poirier is 25 years old
The biggest variance when bringing over EuroLeague players is usually their age. Dario Saric, for example, came over when he was 23, whearas Brad Wanamaker came over at 29. Poirier falls right in between at the age of 25, meaning he has the right balance of experience with room to grow.
Poirier is a pretty big guy
You always want your center to have some mass, but you can’t always expect it; just look at Boston’s first-round pick last year in Robert Williams, a 6’11” center who’s as thin as they come out there, yet can still block shots better than anyone else his age. Poirier will be coming into the league at an even seven feet tall and 235 pounds. He’ll have the bulk coming in to hang with most rotation centers and presumably could get bigger on an NBA weight regimen.
Poirier led EuroLeague in rebounding last year
If there’s anything Poirier can do, it’s rebound. The Frenchman led the league in rebounds per game, bringing down 8.3 boards every four quarters.
Poirier was All-EuroLeague in 2019
Poirier not only was a rebounding machine, his all-around play led to a second team All-EuroLeague selection last season. He averaged nearly 12 points per game to along with his 8.3 rebounds, along with a block per game.
Poirier played in the Summer League
This is not Poirier’s first foray into the professional sphere across the pond. He made a brief appearance in the NBA’s Summer League in 2016, and played five games for the Orlando Magic. He later played for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017 Summer League