Grant Williams used to think he got a lot of attention when he was back in college at Tennessee. Then he became teammates with Tacko Fall.
“He gets it more than JT (Jayson Tatum),” Williams said. “He gets it more than Kemba (Walker).”
But Fall has handled the attention well. Even when he was getting interviewed right before NBA Summer League games — back when he was trying to show he was worth the investment — Fall has always called his height, and the attention that comes with it, a blessing.
“I feel like he’s handling well. I know it was tough on him in the beginning, but I feel like he’s doing well with it,” Romeo Langford said. “He’s not really worried about that (now). He’s worried about getting better. Personally, I can see that he’s gotten way better from the first time I saw him workout in the summer.”
Langford’s assessment of Fall’s play is accurate. The center runs the floor much better than he did when he first signed with Boston. With that, his stamina has improved. Defensively, Fall remains a force in the paint, while he’s developing more low post moves on the offensive end. His major flaw is his free-throw shooting.
Now, as much as Fall had to improve if he wanted to contribute at the NBA level, the worry with him hasn’t been with his work ethic. It had to do with the attention he receives.
“I just hope people continue to appreciate him for what he is as a person and how hard he’s working to try to make it to the NBA,” the Celtics head coach said back on October 6, after fans first unleashed the “We want Tacko!” chant at the Garden.
That concern still lingers for some of Fall’s fellow Celtics rookies.
“Sometimes it gets annoying because I feel like people don’t look at him as a human being. They just see a really tall person,” Tremont Waters said “Whenever he goes to check-in to games or something or whatever he does, it’s like a circus act. I don’t think anyone appreciates that. But I definitely appreciate how he handles it. He takes pictures, signs things, pretty much does what he has to do.”
Waters’ biggest frustration with the situation is Fall’s inability to live a normal life. At least, as normal of a life an NBA player can have.
“It’s everything that he does,” the rookie point guard said. “It gets to be like, ‘Oh my goodness.’ I feel for him. Because we talk — and it’s not a negative thing, but he can’t live a regular life because of it. Even if he wants to go watch a movie at a movie theater or something, he can’t. Because people will just gravitate towards him. It’s not a bad thing, but he just can’t live a normal life.”
Williams recalled a story that perfectly illustrates why Waters feels the way he does.
“(Water and Fall) were in a Walmart one time in Maine and a dude was walking behind them, recording them. Just following them the entire time they were in the store,” Williams said. “And then put the phone in his face and said, ‘Take the picture.’ That’s just preposterous to me. But, you know Tacko, he’s just going to smile and try to be nice. I think he’s so used to it, that’s how he reacts.”
In his experiences with Fall, Williams can only remember the center saying “no” to fans once, but that was only because the pair of Celtics were running. Fall’s willingness to oblige any and all fans forces his teammates to take control of certain situations.
“Sometimes you have to be the mean guy for him, and I’m normally never the mean guy,” Williams said. “So, that’s kind of unique. Gives me the opportunity to hopefully protect him a little bit, because he has the kindest heart of everyone I know.”
But Waters, Williams, Langford and Carsen Edwards all understand why Fall receives the attention. He’s hard to miss at 7-foot-5 — and he doesn’t always get noticed as Tacko Fall the basketball player. There are instances people just see a really tall human and, as Williams put it, “no matter if he’s important or not people are going to be amazed by (his size).”
And the attention never stops. Fall doesn’t have to be in Boston or Maine.
“Legit every city we go to, if he’s there with us, everyone wants to see Tacko,” Langford said. “It is kind of crazy.”
Which is why Edwards “wouldn’t want that attention,” and Williams feels “bad for guys like Tacko or maybe LeBron (James) or those guys, because at one point people feel entitled to autographs or entitled to pictures.”
“I just think it’s dope how he handles it,” Edwards said. “He’s a really good dude. Friendly guy. Tries his best to handle it the best way. For some people — I just think of it like this is their first time meeting Tacko. I feel like his impression on a lot of people is always good. I think that’s really dope how he’s able to do that and carry himself that way.”