It wasn’t really much of a game when Tacko Fall made his entrance against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, then again it rarely is when it comes to the tallest player in the NBA. As the Boston Celtics finished their blowout of the short-handed Magic, Fall entered the already-decided blowout to cheers from the crowd. His appearance acted as an exclamation point in one of the least dramatic Celtics victories of the season, as the 7-foot-5 Fall proceeded to collect four blocks in the span of a minute in what was eventually a 132-96 Boston Celtics victory.

Two nights later, things were very different when Fall entered Boston’s game against the Chicago Bulls. This time around, the team turned to him when the outcome of the game was very much in doubt. With Robert Williams out with turf toe, something that could affect his availability for the foreseeable future, they had fewer options than normal at the big man position. So in the third quarter—out of desperation more than anything—head coach Brad Stevens inserted Fall into the game, where he immediately missed a gimme layup. He wasn’t an answer to any of the many problems the Celtics had that evening and ended up being a nonfactor in a demoralizing 121-99 loss.

Here’s the problem with Fall: he’s a project that the Celtics simply haven’t had the time to work with. Fall has played only 17 games with the Celtics which—in a normal year—wouldn’t be an issue. In theory, Fall is a two-way player who should be splitting time with the Celtics and with the G League Maine Red Claws, where he would be getting a steady diet of minutes to, hopefully, develop into a legitimate NBA player. Except, for obvious reasons, the Red Claws haven't had a 2020-21 season, so Fall has been sitting at the end of the Celtics bench, racking up DNPs for a team that simply is in no position to get a player as unique as Fall the minutes he simply needs.

This is not Stevens’s problem, of course, he’s there to position the Celtics into the best possible position in the playoffs. It’s a tricky position to be in since the seventh-place Celtics have only a handful of games remaining to avoid having to appear in the dreaded (by LeBron James, at least) play-in tournament. If Williams was available on Friday, Fall wouldn’t have even sniffed an appearance in what was a must-win game that turned into a did-lose.

All of this has always been a problem with Fall: the Celtics as currently situated are just not a team that can really develop projects. Fall, meanwhile, is already 25 years old and players can fall out of the NBA relatively quickly. Even though Fall has already proven himself an incredible shock blocker it’s not certain if he could even be a reliable role player in the league. Through no fault of his own, he could be running out of time here.

Fall’s future is in Boston’s hands, he will be a restricted free agent this summer so the Celtics could match another team’s offer. However, it might end up making the most sense for everybody involved for the Celtics to let Fall leave if it comes to that. That roster spot might end up being more valuable, particularly depending on what decisions they make in the upcoming draft. Meanwhile, another team, particularly a younger team that’s not looking to contend right away, could see the upside in giving Fall more time in the NBA. Maybe this would be a better situation if the pandemic had not disrupted Boston’s long-term plans, but this might end up being the reality of the situation.

It’s a small thing, but the Fall situation is an example of the ripple effects that the Covid-19 shutdown will have throughout the sport. In a normal season, Fall would have gotten his reps in playing basketball on a consistent basis while getting some brief time to help fill out the roster when it would help both parties. Instead, he has been stuck on the bench where he continues to be treated more like a novelty act than a legitimate player. It’s impossible to say how it may have affected Fall’s development but it’s certainly not an ideal situation for either side.