Celtic Success Due To Career Best Seasons

http://www.csnne.com/blog/celtics-talk/celtics-success-due-career-best-seasons








BOSTON -- With the Celtics back in the postseason hunt after struggling to start the season, there are plenty of opinions as to how they've rallied to find themselves knee-deep in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

But as you swim through the deep, analytical pool of information that might help explain why this team is so much better, a succinct reality emerges:

The Celtics are loaded with players who are having career seasons here in Boston.

Gigi Datome couldn’t make a shot to save his life in Detroit. But as a Celtic, he's made 51.6 percent of his shots from the field and 42.9 percent of his 3s -- both almost double what he did with the Pistons.

Jared Sullinger (foot) is out for the season. But before he went down, he was also having a career season in terms of scoring (14.4 points per game).

A big part of these players' success has been opportunity, something most of them were not afforded in previous stops.

“That’s what this league is about; opportunity,” Jonas Jerebko, shooting a career-high 51.7 percent on 3s with the Celtics, told CSNNE.com. “It’s great getting out there, getting a chance to prove yourself. That’s what you want.”

But even players who have had chances to showcase their skills elsewhere, appear to be getting even more freedom to play here in Boston.

Isaiah Thomas came to Boston as a proven, high-impact scorer off the bench. But in Boston, the 5-foot-9 guard has been even better than most anticipated with his scoring and overall play at both ends of the floor.

Going down the lineup and it becomes clear that Thomas is by no means the exception to the rule when it comes to Boston players who have exceeded expectations based on how they have performed elsewhere. Players have a great amount of freedom here, which has created opportunities for them to showcase skills that have been seldom seen if at all, at previous NBA stops.

Here’s a look at the Celtics’ current roster, what their career numbers are and how those numbers compare to what they have done this season in Boston (* -- single season career-high):

Brandon Bass
Career averages:          9.0 points            4.7 rebounds      0.8 assists
This season:                  10.3 points          4.8 rebounds      1.2 assists*        
=======================================

Avery Bradley
Career averages:          10.3 points          2.4 rebounds      1.5 assists
This season:                  13.9  points         3.0 rebounds      2.6 assists
=======================================

Jae Crowder
Career averages:                    5.4 points         2.7 rebounds      1 assist
This season with Boston:       8.7 points*        4.4 rebounds*    1.4assists*
=======================================

Gigi Datome
Career averages:                 3.0 points      1.4 rebounds      0.3 assists
This season with Boston:      5.4 points*   1.6 rebounds*    0.3 assists
=======================================

Jonas Jerebko
Career averages:                   7.2 points          4.2 rebounds      0.8 assists
This season with Boston:      7.1 points          3.8 rebounds      1.2 assists*
=======================================

Kelly Olynyk
Career averages:                    9.4 points            5.2 rebounds      1.6 assists
This season with Boston:      10.5 points*        5.1 rebounds      1.8 assists*
=======================================

Phil Pressey
Career averages:                    3.1 points     1.4 rebounds      2.9 assists
This season with Boston:      3.5 points*     1.3 rebounds      2.2 assists
=======================================

Shavlik Randolph
Career averages:          2.4 points              2.5 rebounds      0.3 assists
This season with Boston:    2.0 points       2.7 rebounds      0.3 assists
=======================================

Marcus Smart
Career/season averages:       7.5 points      3.3 rebounds      3.3 assists
=======================================

Jared Sullinger
Career averages:                    11.7 points         7.5 rebounds      1.6 assists
This season with Boston:      14.4 points*         8.1 rebounds      2.4assists*
=======================================

Isaiah Thomas
Career averages:                    15.5 points        2.5 rebounds      4.6 assists
This season with Boston:      21.4 points*        2.7 rebounds      5.4 assists
=======================================

Evan Turner
Career averages:                    10.7 points          5.2 rebounds      3.4 assists
This season with Boston:      8.9 points            4.9 rebounds      4.9assists*
=======================================

Gerald Wallace
Career averages:              12 points             5.8 rebounds      2.1 assists
This season with Boston:    0.9 points         1.4 rebounds      0.2 assists
=======================================

James Young
Career/season averages:       3.3 points            1.4 rebounds      0.4 assists
=======================================

Tyler Zeller
Career averages:                   7.7 points        5.1 rebounds      1.0 assists
This season with Boston:      9.7 points*      5.7 rebounds      1.3 assists*




bob
MY NOTE:  One player?  That's the player.  Two players?  Maybe that's those two players challenging each other to improve, but 15?  The entire roster? That's coaching.  That's Brad and Waltah and the rest of the team Brad brought in. Danny hit a homerun with this. It was problematic last year, his rookie year, but not anymore. His learning curve, and I guess the rest of the Butler Bulldogs he brought with him, has been absolutely vertical.


.

Beyond those numbers Stevens pulls a trump card on this too........

Finding minutes for each of them, some of course due to injury, but still even then rotating guys in and keeping guys heads in the game even when they are a DNP, coach's decision.

beat

beat,

I agree that Stevens and his staff are very much the major reasons why most of these guys are doing better this year than in their past years. However, I believe that the hustle and effort that the team has shown since Ronda and Green are also every bit as important as the differences in points and rebounds.

Some of these guys did not get to play the same minutes in their past and most did not get to play together before this year. Only Sullenger, Bradley, Bass, Olynyk, Pressey and Wallace played together last year, and Olynyk missed a month, Bradley missed some time this year, Sullenger is going to miss 1/3 of this season and Pressey and Wallace have not really played at all this season.

The Celtics are building and re-building at the same time. I can give some credit to Ainge because he has brought in these guys, but most of the credit goes to Stevens and his staff for developing these guys as individuals and as a team.

Blakely is missing big part of the puzzle if he only mentions points and rebounds.

Wide

And Stevens and staff are a huge part of that hustle and effort. Like we have said and some have been a little critical at time, even when things are not going well he has let them play thru their mistakes and slumps..........that had to cost us some wins early no doubt but now we have actually had a somewhat set roster, he has these guys playing his way. And if there is any team rumblings or issues those are hid pretty well.

These guys really seem to enjoy playing together. It will be sad to see some of them go as we look to improve.

beat

Brad's been great - perfect coach for this team- but give the players themselves some credit. For many, this is the first time they have gotten consistent enough minutes to find their groove, gain some confidence, and figure out how they can contribute. Also, without a "star", they don't defer as much, and thus step up more often themselves. All in all, a fun and likable team.