Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws

+2
beat
bobheckler
6 posters

Go down

Which flaw has been the biggest problem for the Boston Celtics so far during the 2016-17 season?

Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Vote_lcap60%Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Vote_rcap 60% 
[ 3 ]
Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Vote_lcap0%Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Vote_rcap 0% 
[ 0 ]
Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Vote_lcap40%Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Vote_rcap 40% 
[ 2 ]
Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Vote_lcap0%Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Vote_rcap 0% 
[ 0 ]
Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Vote_lcap0%Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Vote_rcap 0% 
[ 0 ]
 
Total Votes : 5
 
 

Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Empty Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws

Post by bobheckler Wed Nov 09, 2016 10:22 am

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2674935-diagnosing-boston-celtics-remaining-roster-flaws




Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws



By Brian Robb , Featured Columnist Nov 9, 2016



Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Hi-res-ed98698d3d9c8515441d4fb01b96d585_crop_north



The Boston Celtics are just six games into the 2016-17 NBA season, but concern is already starting to bubble up in the wake of a 3-3 start.

Key rotation pieces, including Kelly Olynyk (shoulder), Marcus Smart (ankle), Jae Crowder (ankle) and Al Horford (concussion), have already missed time. But their absences do not excuse a defense that's allowing 111.8 points per game—the third-highest mark in the league.

"We're coming out too cool," Smart said Monday of the team's play. "[Opposing] teams are coming out ready. We're so used to being the guys that are sneaking up on everybody; that's just not the case this year."

The Celtics have managed to stay competitive despite the inept defense, largely due to standout offensive performances from guards Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley. However, for a squad that had aspirations to be the best defensive team in the league, the regular season's first two weeks exposed glaring holes throughout the roster.

The eventual returns of Olynyk, Crowder and Horford should help stabilize some issues, but let's examine the flaws team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will likely watch closely in the next few weeks. Without some prompt internal improvement, he may look outside the organization to address the concerns.


Rebounding



Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Hi-res-8e796a869c300992ee81a97d87432df5_crop_north
Gary Dineen/Getty Images


Rebounding has been a worry for head coach Brad Stevens from the first day of training camp. The Celtics lost their best rebounder (Jared Sullinger) to the Toronto Raptors in free agency, leaving a major void in the frontcourt. Evan Turner, a 6'7'' small forward who grabbed the team's fourth-most rebounds per game in 2015-16 (4.9), also departed to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Horford is a significant upgrade over Sullinger in many facets of the game, but defensive rebounding isn't one of them. Sullinger was a top-15 player when it came to defensive rebounding rate last year, while Horford hovered around a league average rate for a center.

The team's early season numbers back up that assessment. Before Horford went down with a concussion, the Celtics were getting beat up by opponents with bigger front lines (Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets) on the offensive glass.

Now, through six games, the team ranks 27th in defensive rebounding percentage and is only slightly better (24th) on the offensive glass.

As undersized bigs, Horford (6'10'') and Amir Johnson (6'9'') have left Boston vulnerable in the paint and reliant on smaller wing players to help crash the boards. Avery Bradley (team-leading 8.7 rebounds per game) has helped out on that front, but he hasn't had enough support from his teammates.  

"We had good rebounders [last year], but that’s something we all have to do a little bit better job of," Stevens said. "I think Avery's really taking a step in that direction with going and pursuing balls. He’s had a nine-rebound game and an 11-rebound game already. We’re gonna have to be a team that—sometimes the guys that block out won’t get the rebounds. The guys that block out have to let somebody else get the rebound."


Getting to the Free-Throw Line


Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Hi-res-51b84a673a9375d30545e72d9d1a5125_crop_exact
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images


There's a troubling trend in Boston: No one outside of Isaiah Thomas is getting to the free-throw line with any regularity.

The 5'9'' point guard ranks ninth in the league with 8.7 free-throw attempts per game, but no one on the roster outside of him is averaging more than 2.0 per game. The sample size may be limited, but Stevens acknowledged the lack of easy points at the charity stripe is no surprise.  

"We don't have a lot of guys that have historically gotten to the line," he said. "It's not going to be a team that is going to get to the line as much as some others probably. Certainly Isaiah, and he gets to the line a lot, probably carries the majority of our load right now."

Boston's strong shooting start from the field (48.8 FG%) has largely masked this issue. Once red-hot players such as Bradley and Thomas cool off, though, the Celtics will need to improve their 26th-ranked free-throw output in order to keep pace with the league's elite offenses.

"You’ve got to be aggressive," Thomas said. "You’ve got to want to get fouled. You’ve got to attack the paint and play from the inside out."

The injured trio of Horford, Crowder and Olynyk don't historically get to the line at an above-average rate either, so Boston's front office ultimately may try to trade some of its young depth and draft picks in order to find another offensive creator.

Acquiring someone who can get into the paint and draw contact would help the team's offense and also take pressure off of Thomas.


Defensive Effort


Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Hi-res-dc1092a99e3801cd941ff15411ed2635_crop_exact
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports


Before the season started, Bradley expressed his belief that the Celtics were capable of being a top-two or top-three defense. Early injuries have hampered the team's effectiveness, but it's safe to say Boston has plenty of work to do to come even close to that lofty goal.

Despite returning 11 players from last year's roster, Boston's points allowed per possession ranks dead last in the NBA. Opponents are making a league-worst 11.2 threes per game and only turning the ball over 13.7 times per contest (26th in league), a shocking turnaround for one of the most gritty defensive teams last year.

"I thought this was possible," Stevens said Sunday of the defensive decline. "I think anytime that you have a year where you achieve relative success on one end of the floor, there’s slippage that’s bound to occur because shortcuts are bound to be taken. What’s most disappointing to me is the lack of physicality. But that’s on me, like I told you. I’ve got to play the guys that play more physical, like, that’s just the way it goes.”

Internal changes may be made to the bench's rotation to try and turn the tide, but the head coach also believes the defense will look different once the roster is back at full strength.

"Losing guys out of our lineups, obviously Jae and Al and Marcus," Stevens continued, "we haven’t had all three of those guys in one game; those are three of our best defenders. But the reality is that even with that, even with the idea that one, two, or three of those guys are out at once, that we should be better than we’ve been.

"I don’t think the group that’s played will necessarily be, especially with the group that we had out there [Sunday against the Nuggets], I don’t think we’re going to be a top-10 defense. But we can be 12th or 13th [with that group], right at the end of the season, that’s for sure."


Fouling


Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Hi-res-31229a0ccc2e5474ec6c161ee92f76ef_crop_exact
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images


The Celtics have had a fouling issue for the past couple seasons, in spite of being a strong overall defensive team.

In past years, Boston's feisty defenders—such as Bradley, Smart and Crowder—regularly produced perimeter turnovers that helped offset its high fouling rate. Those same turnovers have been hard to come by through six games, but the constant fouling remains prevalent.

Opponents are piling up 30.3 free-throw attempts per game, as teams punish a shorthanded roster that lacks a true rim protector. The fouling issue is further compounded by a tendency to maintain aggressive defensive tactics while in the penalty.  

"We've got to be a little bit better with playing without fouling," Stevens explained. "Especially when other teams are in the bonus. We showed some clips on that and talked about that. That's one of the many things we've got to get better at. Easier said than done because we're undersized and we're going to have sometimes where we're going to foul. We have to minimize the times on the unnecessary fouls."

There's no one culprit across the roster, as seven players commit at least 2.5 fouls per game. But reserve bigs such as Zeller, Jonas Jerebko and Jordan Mickey have been the biggest offenders, averaging over five fouls per 36 minutes. A couple members of that trio are likely to be sent back to the end of the bench once Olynyk and Horford return to action.

In the meantime, the Celtics' perimeter stoppers need to play smarter and get back to their defensive roots, according to Thomas.

"We’re fouling too much and we’re not getting stops," he said. "We’re not the type of team to outscore teams on any given night. We’ve got to figure something out on the defensive end, because offense it seems like we get what we want."

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com are accurate as of Nov. 8.



bob



.
bobheckler
bobheckler

Posts : 60894
Join date : 2009-10-28

Back to top Go down

Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Empty Re: Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws

Post by bobheckler Wed Nov 09, 2016 10:22 am

I haven't watched any games, tonight will be my first (YIPPEE!!!) but it seems to me the biggest problem so far is the defense. We weren't a great rebounding team last year but we've picked up some players as well as lost a few. Bradley, for one, has been a tiger on the glass. As far as getting to the line goes, I think Jaylen Brown will help there, for Pete's Sake, just give him a few more NBA games worth of experience. He has the athleticism to get past his man, the aggressive mindset that wants to create contact and get fouled like IT says, he just needs a little time for the swelling of his head from all the new stuff that has been crammed into it to go down. The fouling will get taken care of once our defense gets better.


bob


.
bobheckler
bobheckler

Posts : 60894
Join date : 2009-10-28

Back to top Go down

Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Empty Re: Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws

Post by beat Wed Nov 09, 2016 10:55 am

Talk to me in March-April. We haven't had everyone healthy yet
beat
beat

Posts : 7032
Join date : 2009-10-13
Age : 70

Back to top Go down

Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Empty Re: Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws

Post by dboss Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:38 pm

I picked rebounding as the most obvious flaw.  And it is important to keep in mind that rebounding on the defensive glass is a variable of playing defense.  

Although we have been playing without a full deck the rebounding issue is not going to go away.  I still believe this team has the potential be a great defensive unit provided key guys are not on IR  

The Celtics will be a very good team this year but the rebounding flaw cannot be overlooked and until it is addressed any notion that we are an elite level contender is a pipe dream.

dboss
dboss
dboss

Posts : 18595
Join date : 2009-11-01

Back to top Go down

Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Empty Re: Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws

Post by wideclyde Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:57 pm

It seems that rebounding has been a Celts problem all the way back to all of the Doc Rivers days.

Rebounding is much more of a mental thing than it is a height or wingspan thing, in my opinion. Deciding to get into the best rebounding position is mental, hammering the opponent for the space is mental and then ripping and snorting for the ball is also mental. Paul Silas was a great NBA rebounder at a shade under 6'6 and Dennis Rodman was an even better rebounder at the same height.

It seems like Avery Bradley has figured rebounding out this season, and he is certainly not the tallest of even the guards he plays against. Seems like the other guys better watch or speak to Bradley for lessons.

wideclyde

Posts : 2390
Join date : 2015-12-14

Back to top Go down

Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Empty Re: Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws

Post by dboss Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:36 pm

There are also a lot of variables that go into rebounding. Size, length and bulk matter as does technique, anticipation and speed and agility and jumping ability.

If Boston is fighting for rebounds and has an undersized unit and even if they are using all of the rebounding skills they will still get beat on the glass if the opponents are applying good rebounding skills and they happen to be bigger.

Size matters.  Small ball is not a good formula for rebounding against a bigger team.

dboss
dboss
dboss

Posts : 18595
Join date : 2009-11-01

Back to top Go down

Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Empty All

Post by Celticspride Wed Nov 09, 2016 8:41 pm

All the above right now.
Celticspride
Celticspride

Posts : 39
Join date : 2014-05-23

Back to top Go down

Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Empty Re: Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws

Post by NYCelt Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:13 am

Celticspride wrote:All the above right now.

I suppose that's a fair statement! Laughing
NYCelt
NYCelt

Posts : 10591
Join date : 2009-10-12

Back to top Go down

Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws Empty Re: Diagnosing Boston Celtics' Remaining Roster Flaws

Post by Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum