Boston’s Enes Kanter had some tense moments after a teammate tested positive for COVID-19. “After, especially, one of our team members tested positive, I was just worried about all my other teammates and I was praying for Marcus Smart, but I knew he was going to beat it.” Charles Krupa/Associated Press
How an NBA player spends his time varies, but thanks to Twitter, Enes Kanter has posted some pretty good stunts.
The Celtics center has pretended to consume passing cars on the road below his condo with a Kermit-like hand puppet, and eaten a chain of mini-marshmallows as they descended into his mouth at the foot of an operating treadmill for a viral TikTok moment.
🤣 #QuarantineLife 😋 pic.twitter.com/XhILWe6aaZ
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) March 28, 2020
He’s learning how to cook Turkish food – think kebobs and lamb chops – and play the piano. He regularly video-conferences with teammates and takes in every bit of news. He was as shocked as anyone by the news that Marcus Smart tested positive for COVID-19, but not exactly worried.
“I’ll say this – I knew he was going to beat that because that virus never faced anyone like Marcus Smart,” Kanter said Friday in a conference call. “Marcus is tough, you knew he was going to beat the virus and he did. It’s so amazing to see how outspoken he is about all of this stuff because people need it. He’s a big voice, because he’s been through it, you knew how he felt, what he’s been through. He’s an amazing, intelligent, educated person, so it’s good to see how outspoken he is.
“I was praying for my teammates and the whole world because obviously that’s not the situation we wanted to be in. After, especially, one of our team members tested positive, I was just worried about all my other teammates and I was praying for Marcus Smart, but I knew he was going to beat it. He’s a strong kid, he’s a strong guy.”
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart was virus-free by the end of his quarantine, but remains in isolation. Rick Bowmer/Associated Press
Smart was virus-free by the end of his quarantine, but remains in isolation with the rest of the country and his restless Celtics teammates.
“It was very sad because, obviously, we’re competitors, we wanted to go out there and play basketball, but like everybody says, player safety first,” said Kanter. “For us, just making sure not just our teammates, the whole organization, everybody in the organization and in the other organizations are safe and good.”
Another challenge that may be more stringent than it seems: staying in condition. The Celtics’ coaches and trainers are certainly doing their part to keep players involved.
“It’s crazy how the Celtics have been on us about the staying in shape thing,” said Kanter. “The first time there was testing they gave us some workout stuff so we can do it at home.
“Right now, the strength coach calls us on FaceTime a couple of times a week and making sure we’re getting our stuff and getting in shape and not cheating,” he said. “Obviously we’re at home and it’s a little more chill, but the Celtics have been on us to stay in shape. It’s amazing because we have these little groups. Pump up players in my group, and the strength coaches are calling us on media conference and trying to make sure that we’re doing it, like the pushups, the sit-ups, if you have a treadmill in your house or if you have a bike in your house. So we’re just doing that.”
What happens after this isolation is anyone’s guess, but Kanter has one concern – the chance that a premature return to games could result in a rash of injuries across the league. The Celtics will need a minicamp before anything else happens, he says.
“You can’t just say OK, we’re going to play the game a week later,” he said. “Some people are doing something, and some people are in their apartments not doing anything, so the NBA will put safety first, and I know the NBA will do a good job of that, too.
“I think we’ll need two to three weeks just to get back on the court, because people are in their apartments and not moving at all. We have to make sure everyone is doing their stuff and in great shape, so they can go out and compete. If you jump straight to playoffs, playoffs are like a war, where you have to give it everything you have, make sure everyone is 100 percent healthy, in game shape, and then we can compete.”
Though the NBA landscape could take on several forms if and when play resumes, Kanter is certain that fans will be restricted to watching games on television.
“They’ll probably do it without the fans,” he said. “We’re real competitors, man. We have a really good chance to go out there and win a championship. But like I said, we have to be concerned about players’ safety, so I think it’s going to be broadcast on TV and played without the fans.”
Though many options are being considered, Kanter likes the possibility of one in particular – a scenario that would have the remaining games played in Las Vegas.
“I heard that the virus doesn’t do well in warm weather, so I think Vegas might be the smartest thing because it’s warm and hot,” he said. “We need to make sure players focus on what they need to focus on. Obviously, it’s Vegas and some are smart and some aren’t so smart. We just need to make sure we focus on basketball and not other things if you know what I mean.”
Kanter only hopes that the league’s playoff format isn’t altered.
“I would take the seven-game series because obviously it’s playoffs and if it’s safe and good-to-go, I would want to see a seven-game series,” he said. “I don’t know how it’s going to affect the draft, free agency and summer league and everything, but I would love to see a seven-game series again because every game you play in the playoffs, it gives you so much at stake and it’s a huge blessing. For me, I hope it’s a seven-game series again.”
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