BOSTON — Enes Kanter, the former WWE 24/7 champion mind you, recoiled from the collision like he’d taken one of Ric Flair’s signature chops. Teammate Tacko Fall had been trying to establish post position in 1-on-1 drills this week and Fall’s swinging elbow caught Kanter in the neck, and now Kanter stood in the paint, hands clutching his throat, as Fall made his move to the hoop.
From the baseline, rookie Vincent Poirier doubled over in laughter, well aware of Kanter’s plight. An intervention was deemed necessary and a semi-circle of 7-footers soon formed around Fall, his fellow bigs playfully reminding the 7-foot-7 behemoth to be more careful with his arms.
"They always joke about it, they want me to wear elbow pads,” said Fall. “But even if I wear elbow pads, you’re still going to catch it.”
Defending Fall is simply an occupational hazard. Kanter showed up to a media session this week with a few splotches of blood evident on his white undershirt. Asked what happened, he smiled and said, “I was going against Tacko. He’s one strong dude.”
Pressed on the dangers of defending Fall, Kanter laughed and added, "He’s too tall. Our face is in his elbows so, when he turns, you’re just like, ‘Don’t hit me Tacko!’”
It’s a fascinating scene to watch. Fall, with his height advantage, makes the rest of Boston’s bigs look like guards defending him. As Danny Ainge quipped this summer, it’s like watching high schoolers play against fourth-graders.
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
Giving up this sort of size is foreign to NBA big men. Even Boban Marjanovic is listed at a mere 7-foot-3. The NBA hasn’t seen this sort of size since Gheorge Muresan. Fall left scouts slackjawed when he officially measured at 7-foot-7 in his size 22 shoes at the combine in May. This with an NBA-record 8-foot-2 wingspan and a 10-foot-2.5 standing reach. Despite his wiry apperance, Kanter said Fall weighs over 300 pounds now, and he’s getting stronger.
Which begs the question: How in the world do you defend someone that big, particularly in 1-on-1 work? We sought out Boston’s big men this week and asked for their strategies. We got a lot of shrugs and tales of catching elbows to the face.
"Just try to keep him from catching it within 3 or 4 feet of the basket,” said rookie Grant Williams, the already undersized forward who gives up nearly a foot of size when tasked with defending Fall. "If you can do that, you have a chance. Outside of that, you’re going to catch a couple elbows to the head, you‘re going to get smacked in the face, you’re going to get thrown.”
Newcomer Poirier, an import from France this summer, learned the hard way what can happen if Fall gets anywhere near the restricted area. After Boston’s first camp session, Fall and Poirier were part of a rotating 1-on-1 game when Fall muscled his way to the charge circle after lowering his left shoulder into Poirier’s chest. With his left foot still mostly outside the restricted area, Fall leaped just enough that, with his outstretched arm, he dunked over Poirier.
A playfully incredulous Kanter walked onto the court, spiking a ball into the ground in excitement.
"I was going crazy,” said Kanter. "You never see a guy that does a dunk like that. I even played against Boban, he wasn’t like that. Tacko’s definitely special, man. Having him on your side, not just as a teammate, as a person, as a human being, it’s good. He puts a smile on everybody’s face because of his personality.”
But those elbows.
“Tacko is really huge,” said Poirier. “Even if you get down, bang on him, he’s got long arms and he puts his arms in your face. … But it’s Tacko. You have to be careful. You can lose a nose.
“He's so tall. When he takes his position, that’s normal for him. He’s gotten eye rolls from everybody.”
How would Fall defend someone his size?
“Just try to get as low as possible,” said Fall. “Try to take away my right. But, the thing is, I’ve really worked on my left. And send help, like a double team or something."
Despite the bruises, all of Boston’s bigs are rooting for Fall. They love his personality and his potential. They really love the way he’s handled all the attention this summer and continued to work his tail off in hopes of simply making the roster.
Fall is with the Celtics on an Exhibit 10 deal, essentially an invitation to camp. He’s hoping to show he deserves the lone remaining open roster spot but understands he’s got a long way to go to becoming a rotation-caliber NBA big. Fall believes the strides he’s already made this summer show that he can get there.
The Celtics could cut Fall at the end of camp with hopes of funneling him to the Maine Red Claws of the G-League but a rival could snatch him up at a low cost. Ainge has said he’s committed to Fall’s development and the team is clearly intrigued by what he can become.
Given his bursts of dominance at summer league, with tippy-toe dunks and loud blocks, Fall became an instant favorite of Celtics fans. This reporter told Fall that many casual Celtics fans will ask about his status long before they inquire about All-Star teammates like Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward.
"Oh wow. Wow,” said Fall. "Kemba is an All-Star. I’m not even on the roster.”
Walker was walking by at that moment and Fall relayed the story. Walker laughed and nodded approvingly, saying Fall deserved all the hype. Even Walker is still trying to figure out how to safely finish near the basket when Fall is protecting the back line.
Fall is still incredibly raw. Even as the team works on him shooting over the top of smaller players, he’s learning basics like keeping the ball high to avoid getting stripped. Fall is encouraged by the way he’s performed in 5-on-5 action but acknowledges he’s still very much a work in progress.
It’s that humbleness and character that stands out to teammates, particularly those that see how he carries himself outside the walls of the Auerbach Center.
“He is a phenomenon because normally you would think those guys would be closed off, shy because they're always being bothered,” said Williams. “I mean, 7-foot-7, no matter where you go, no matter whether they know you play basketball or not, they're going to ask you a question and try to take a picture because they've never seen someone that big. And he says yes to everyone.”
Williams and Fall were fast friends when rookies first came together in June, and Kanter took Fall under his wing later in the offseason. Kanter even brought Fall to his Boston youth basketball clinic and marvels at how the 23-year-old is handling immediate celebrity while staying focused on trying to fight his way onto the roster.
"Let me tell you something, first, before basketball, he’s a good locker room guy. Good human being, good heart,” said Kanter. "Whatever happens, he’s never down, he always smiles, he always has a good positive energy. That’s very important. I’m rooting for him, man.”
Fall is hoping he can stick around and continue to throw his elbows into the faces of Boston’s big men.
"It’s great to know that so many people are rooting for me,” said Fall. "It’s a testament, I feel like, of how hard I’ve worked to get to this point and the type of person I’ve been. I just have to keep working and, regardless of what happens, I’m really thankful for the opportunities that have come my way.”
Five under-the-radar NBA rookies to watch this season>>>
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.