5 things to know about Celtics forward Josh Minott
The 22-year-old forward has a unique nickname and played one season at Memphis under Penny Hardaway.
The Celtics added a young, athletic wing player to the mix this week with the signing of Josh Minott.
The 6-foot-8-inch, 205-pound forward has spent the bulk of his professional career in the G-League after being drafted in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
He’s a lengthy, energetic slasher with a 38.5-inch vertical leap. He averaged 22 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks with the Iowa Wolves last season.
At age 22, Minott is a young player. The Celtics are taking a chance on him based on upside, rather than current production.
Here are five things to know about the new Celtics forward.
Penny Hardaway coached him in college.
Minott played one season at Memphis and was coached by four-time NBA All-Star Penny Hardaway.
He was the third-highest ranked recruit in Memphis’s 2021 class behind Emoni Bates, and Jalen Duren.
Minott averaged 6.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. Memphis lost to Chet Holmgren-led Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Hornets drafted Minott with the 45th pick of the 2022 draft and traded him to the Timberwolves on draft night.
He can score, but his 3-point shot needs work .
The Celtics took an eye-popping 48.2 3-pointers per game last season, the most in the league by far.
But, they likely won’t be relying on Minott to take many threes. Minott had just 14 3-point attempts during his college career. He made two of them.
Minott has increased his 3-point workload during his time in the G-League, taking 4.1 per game last season. But his 3-point percentage consistently hovered around 30 percent during his time in Iowa. He is a career 33.9 3-point shooter in the NBA, but that’s with fewer than 1 attempt per game.
Minott is at his best when he can get to the rim and use his leaping ability. He shot 50.7 percent from the field last season. The best shot for him is often a dunk.
He has a unique nickname.
Minott’s nickname, “The Lawn Mower,” is a nod to his motor.
He told reporters after a Summer League game in 2022 that he felt he was the “embodiment” of what energy looked like on a basketball court.
“Overall, I felt like I just got into the groove of things,” Minott said at the time. “It’s like a lawn mower, once I got going, just kept going.”
He was teammates with another new Celtic.
The Celtics signed center Luka Garza on Monday. Minott and Garza played together in Minnesota and Iowa.
Both players are affordable options for the Celtics. Minott signed a two-year, $5 million deal. Garza signed a two-year, $5.5 million deal.
Shedding salary was a priority for the Celtics this offseason. With the additions of Minott, Garza, and Anfernee Simons, and the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Luke Kornet, the Celtics have gotten younger and cheaper.
He represents Jamaica in international play.
Minott is from Boca Raton, Fla., but he competes internationally with Jamaica.
He was Jamaica’s leading scorer in the 2019 Centrobasket U17 championship.
According to the Jamaica Observer, Minott has committed to play for Jamaica in the FIBA World Cup Americas Pre-Qualifiers this summer.
Clippers guard Norman Powell has also committed to the team. Twin brothers Ausar and Amen Thompson have said they are considering playing for the Jamaican national team but have not yet made a decision.
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