The Boston Celtics have converted rookie center Tacko Fall's contract into a two-way deal, meaning he can spend up to 45 days with the Celtics this season.

Fall will spend the rest of his time developing with the G League's Maine Red Claws.

The mammoth 23-year-old center was signed by the Celtics as an undrafted free agent this offseason and quickly became a fan favorite at the Las Vegas Summer League, given his 7'6" frame shot-blocking ability.

That infatuation has continued into the preseason, when fans chanted for him enough during the team's preseason opener at TD Garden last Sunday that head coach Brad Stevens spoke to Fall in the second quarter and later addressed the chanting after the game, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN:

"I just talked to Tacko about it. Tacko is such a gracious guy, and it puts him in such a tough spot, right? He knows he doesn't want to put extra heat on me. Everybody wants Tacko. My kids are the same way, and everybody else. I think that's cool, and that's great. But 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. Because he's a really good kid and he's really, really working hard, and I think he's going to be in the NBA for a long time."

Fall was eventually put into that game in the fourth quarter, posting five points, three rebounds and two blocked shots in eight minutes.

And the fan hype only continued when the team played a preseason game in Orlando, not far from where he spent his college days at UCF.

"No offense to anybody. I think it's fun that everybody's excited about it," Stevens said after that contest, per Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. "But I'm sure it's not comfortable for him. But this is why I say all the time how impressed I am with him, because he just handles everything with a smile and grace."

The point Stevens seems to be trying to drive home is that Fall is more than a fun novelty for fans, and by giving him a two-way deal, the Celtics believe he's proved on the court he deserves a longer look this season. 

He won't play a major role for the Celtics this year, given the nature of two-way deals, but he's now a developmental project for the team and a player they obviously believe could potentially become a rotational option in the future.