Colton Iverson could fill Celtics' need for ‘a stronger center'

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WALTHAM – Danny Ainge said Thursday that the Boston Celtics likely aren’t done making moves, with their biggest needs being “shooting” and “a stronger center.” According to a source, the latter need could be filled by center Colton Iverson, whose rights are owned by the Celtics as the 53rd overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

After spending the last three years playing in the Turkish and Spanish leagues, with two summer league appearances with the Celtics, Iverson is now a 27-year-old seasoned veteran who’s ready to compete immediately in an energy role off the bench.

The Celtics have frontcourt depth featuring Al Horford, Kelly Olynyk, Amir Johnson, and Jordan Mickey -- but they lack a traditional center who specializes in rim running on offense, rebounding on both ends, and rim protection on defense.

At 7-feet and 263-pounds, that’s precisely where Iverson is equipped to help. The Colorado State alumni played this past season with Karsiyaka of the Turkish League, and averaged 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. As one of Turkey’s most efficient pick-and-roll finishers, Iverson’s player efficiency rating of 24.1 was third in the league.

Small ball is en vogue in the NBA, but there's still a need for traditional big men. Centers Steven Adams and Andrew Bogut played pivotal roles for their respective teams in the NBA Playoffs, and Timothy Mozgov and Ian Mahinmi signed lucrative contracts in free agency. Iverson isn’t quite at the same level of those players, but he can fill a similar role and do it at a tremendously lower cost compared to any of the remaining options, including Boston’s own restricted free agents Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger.

A move for Iverson is not impending, but at the least, per the source, he is a name to monitor as a depth piece for the Celtics, regardless of any potential transactions they make in the upcoming weeks and months.

Kevin O’Connor can be followed on Twitter: @KevinOConnorNBA

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