Boston’s Tacko Fall could go to Orlando with the Celtics if rosters are expanded to 17. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
The NBA will reportedly allow teams to bring 17 players, including their two-way players, to Orlando, according to the Athletic’s Shams Charania who reported that players who signed an NBA or G League deal this year or a previous year are expected to be eligible.
The Celtics’ roster is full, and they are unlikely to be able to upgrade at any position in a major way. They should, however, be able to bring Tremont Waters and Tacko Fall to Disney World.
There was some question whether two-way players would be allowed to join, since the NBA is trying to limit its numbers within the bubble as much as possible to try to avoid infection. But more players makes some sense practically – if a player is injured, or if a player tests positive for coronavirus, teams might be forced to dig into their roster to build a functional team.
For the Celtics, this is unlikely to make a major difference unless something does go wrong. Fall, a favorite in Portland when he played with the Red Claws, didn’t really play meaningful minutes with Boston this season, and while Waters showed a lot of promise, the Celtics are well-stocked at point guard – with Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart and Brad Wanamaker in the rotation and Gordon Hayward fully capable of handling the point for lengthy stretches.
The Celtics have a lot of ball-handlers, and when the offense gets bogged down in the half-court, Jayson Tatum is often the point of attack out of the pick-and-roll.
The NBA has reportedly moved up its start date for the seeding portion of its schedule in Orlando to July 30 after initially planning to start a day later. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, a panel of physicians will examine the medical history of team personnel before they arrive in Orlando, although it’s unclear how much power that panel will have over who is in the bubble.
The suspension of the season could force the entire NBA calendar back significantly, and it could force the league to condense its schedule. Per Charania, the playoffs in Orlando are scheduled to start on Aug. 18, and the Finals will be in October. The NBA’s tentative plan is to start its 2020-21 season in December.
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