Celtics build up on defense

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2015/09/celtics_build_up_on_defense



Celtics build up on defense






Photo by: Ted Fitzgerald
Jae Crowder

Thursday, October 1, 2015

By:  Mark Murphy




Jae Crowder and Amir Johnson were the two designated defenders earlier this week in a 3-on-2 attack drill.

After 10 rotations, and lots of scrambling and shouting by Crowder and Johnson, none of their teammates had scored a point.

“We’re here all day!” an empowered Crowder shouted.

A day later, the Celtics forward’s mind was still locked in the moment.

“Ten straight stops. That shows what two guys talking and staying on the same page and playing hard can do,” Crowder said. “Amir is a big piece on the defensive side of the ball, and he’s going to anchor a lot.”

For starters, Johnson is the rim protector the C’s generally lacked last season. He’s also another defense-first personality added to the mix.

For all of the refinements Brad Stevens needs to make on offense this season, the Celtics coach established a defensive foundation last spring during the team’s surprising playoff run.

After finishing well down the NBA list in Stevens’ first season in 2013-14, the Celtics finished 12th best in opponents points per possession in 2014-15, a ranking that jumped once the roster stabilized following last February’s trade deadline. Stevens mentioned that number often since the start of training camp, though when pressed for a projection, he has a stock answer: “Somewhere in the top 30.”

The hope, naturally, is to move up from 12th best.

“I think it’s going to go up,” Crowder said of that defensive rating. “We have the core to get better. We have a little rim protection now with Amir, we have David Lee, who can guard on pick-and-rolls. Guys really know how to play on the defensive end. I think we can grow.

“We know what we have as players and we know what we can do individually. We know what I can do and what Marcus (Smart) can do and what Avery (Bradley) can do. Now it’s what can we do collectively. It’s all five guys on the court being on the same page.”

Those who were here last season remember that defensive success.

In the case of Lee, there’s a better memory. He was part of a championship Golden State team that rose to the top of the list defensively, a strength often overlooked due to the beauty and effectiveness of the Warriors at the other end of the floor. With big wing defenders and players who could guard multiple positions, Golden State also coined the new way to play defense in this league.

“The biggest thing in training camp is establishing that mindset,” Lee said. “A lot of defense is having that mindset, going out there and giving the effort. That’s the biggest thing — new guys establishing what he wants defensively.”

Bradley is one of the best on-ball defenders in the league, Smart is already elite in every aspect of his defense and Crowder is the versatile forward who can guard everyone from power forwards to some shooting guards.

What the Celtics lacked was rebounding and rim protection. Johnson and Lee are strong in the former, and Johnson is probably the best in the latter area the Celtics have had in Stevens’ tenure.

“(He) just plays the game the right way,” Stevens said when asked if Johnson brings a new quality to how the Celtics can defend. “I don’t want to say that we haven’t had it, because our guys worked hard to be a good defensive team. We finished 12th for a reason last year. Not as high as you ultimately want to be, but we made good strides. He gives us a great deal of effort and awareness, and that’s a great combination when you’re talking about that end of the floor.

“First of all, he’s 6-foot-9, long and athletic. There’s not a lot of people like that generally, but there’s a lot of people like that in this league. His mind is excellent for defense, and he really prioritizes it, and his motor is extremely high. All that factored into why he helps your team win when he’s on the defensive end of the floor.”

But Stevens is also wary right now, and searching for evidence that this team can defend the same as last April.

“Rebuilding (defensive) habits is where you are right now,” he said. “If we take shortcuts, we won’t be in the top 20. If we play it really hard and stay focused, the sky’s the limit.”



bob
MY NOTE:  If we can get into the top 10 in defense (and we had the 5th best defense during that final 38-game spurt at the end, so top 10 isn't just crazy talk) and some improvement in our offense (which went stone cold at times) we could have a pretty good team this year.  One thing we cannot do is come out of the locker room, throw up a quarter, or even a half a quarter, worth of bricks and go down by 16 in the first half.  We need to stay competitive throughout and then use our depth and youth to take some of the starch out of them in the 4th quarter.  Too many times we rallied in the 3rd and 4th and made it close but came up short.  If we stay within striking distance we won't need that big, long, energy-draining sustained rally to catch them.

Numerous posters have suggested that the 3 rookies will be spending a lot of time in Maine.  This is where the smart money is going, for sure, but if Brad is becoming frustrated because we're not putting the ball in the hole, like we did last year, then I wouldn't be surprised if RJ Sniper and maybe pocket rocket Rozier getting some minutes.  They might not have the defensive schemes down to where they are instinctive and they aren't used to the bigger and faster players of the NBA but they have some skill sets that will generate points.  I would expect Mickey to spend more time in Maine because of the absurd depth we have in the front court, especially at 4.  I suspect it will take an injury and/or a trade to get him many minutes this year.

A top 10 defense? Without a bona fide rim protecting, vacuum cleaning shot-eraser patrolling the paint? That would be impressive.


.

Bob,

The projected move from 12th on defense to getting into the top 10 is very much going to be determined by how several things go on the offensive end every bit much as much as what happens at the defensive end.

Better three point shooting will result in far fewer run outs and better offensive rebounding will add to better scoring opportunities which will yield more points and even fewer fast breaks against our defense.