One of the underrated players in the NBA today is Enes Kanter of the Boston Celtics. He is a silent operator who can give any team a double-double consistently. And while he does grab rebounds, put up second-chance points and defend well, he is curiously a poor shot blocker.
But that was not the case recently when the Boston Celtic played the Charlotte Hornets. For some reason, the Turkish big man ended up with a career-high 6 blocks. As USA Today pointed out, Kanter could have achieved it with plenty of help. The Hornets were throwing ill-advised shots, making it easy for the third overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft to swat them all.
Standing 6-foot-10, it would be normal for any big guy to block shots in any game. But somehow, the NBA found it uncanny. To make sure, the league wanted him to go a drug test - a way to make sure he is clean and not juiced. Kanter announced this via his social media account, seemingly unaffected by the whole thing.
For some, seeing Kanter play defense is a bit different. He has never been known to be a great rim protector although there is always a first time for everything. Some call it a backhanded compliment although his case was not the first one. Earlier in the season, the NBA called for a drug test on Danny Green of the Los Angeles Lakers after slamming it home. The common thing is that both were firsts.
Kanter signed with the Boston Celtics following the departure of Al Horford and Marcus Morris. He reunites with Gordon Hayward, a former teammate when both were with the Utah Jazz.
The 27-year-old has been through a lot the past year, including some uncertainty at one point when he was still with the New York Knicks. Aside from that, he also had some political run-ins. A known activist, Kanter is best known for criticizing Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his support for the Gülen movement. Outside the NBA, he even dipped his hand in the WWE scene. For a time, he was the WWE 24/7 champion.
Regardless, Kanter has made headlines once again but for some (jolly) reason. Ordinarily, it would be a career-defining moment for any NBA player. Unfortunately, Kanter's moment got a bit tainted. The best way is to prove to everyone that his defensive effort was no fluke and that he can swat away shots anytime he feels like it.
