David Lee's preseason debut shows ways he can jolt Boston Celtics offense

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David Lee's preseason debut shows ways he can jolt Boston Celtics offense






Boston Celtics' David Lee, left, drives as Olimpia Milano's Robbie Hummel challenges him, during their basketball match, part of the NBA global games, in Assago, near Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com

on October 06, 2015 at 8:05 PM


From the beginning of training camp, Brad Stevens has made his respect for David Lee's playmaking clear. The Boston Celtics head coach touted Lee's abilities in that area after several practices, even comparing the big man to a "point-forward." It has been obvious the Celtics want to run some offense through Lee, and his preseason debut hinted at the type of impact he could make.

The 124-91 victory came against Olimpia Milano, sure, an Italian team with a small lineup. But Lee has been one of the NBA's most skilled big men for years, a dynamic threat who can beat teams with scoring or passing. If he starts for the Celtics -- as he did Tuesday -- he could jolt a first unit that was an offensive disaster last season.

Two weeks after his first practice, Lee looked like a powerful fit for Stevens' system. Over 21 minutes, the veteran scored in the post, bolstered the pick-and-roll attack, and directed pretty passes to open teammates. He opened his Celtics stint with a line of 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists -- which was strong, but understated how much offense he facilitated.

After years of Brandon Bass, Lee's versatile skill set was jarring. Take this first-quarter pick-and-roll with Marcus Smart:

https://mtc.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/C2CA352D231263317295145644032_4bb18f64d5e.1.1.16144831236074419056.mp4?versionId=aXUR4pDRWduWzPYSpKgmAmMj9LPiYVkQ

Lee catches on the move, and the defense isn't sure what to do. The big man is capable of dumping it off to Tyler Zeller for an easy bucket or finding Avery Bradley in the corner. Instead, Lee calmly reads the defense and decides to finish the play himself.

On other occasions, he opted to use his elite court vision:

https://mtc.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/324841F1851263318592242778112_41a5ff83fc3.1.1.12307170043218348355.mp4?versionId=CHCDzwx8OEPN9MusKLoeZRj1fhjG2HE1


Oh, you're going to turn your back on the guy in the corner? Well, thanks, he's going to catch it there and shoot one of the most efficient shots in basketball.

At this stage, Stevens warned he is still experimenting with lineups. But if he wants to keep Isaiah Thomas as the sixth man, he'll also want to stock the bench with shooters and maybe a plus defender like Amir Johnson. Lee's place could be in the first unit, where he can help Smart and Bradley with offensive creation. Neither player is a natural point guard, which dragged down that unit's production last season. Overshadowed by Boston's late-season success, the starting lineup was a ragged offensive bunch that couldn't shoot, get to the line or bust through cracks in the defense.

Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach

Brad Stevens on point-forward David Lee: “We’re going to try to play through him quite a bit especially when he’s not on the floor w/Isaiah"
4:01 PM - 6 Oct 2015

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Lee won't hit threes, but he'll make life easier on Boston's guards, and he will unlock opportunities Bass couldn't last season. Stevens has been encouraging Lee to push the ball in transition after defensive rebounds, something we saw a bit of Tuesday:

https://v.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/FF644BB3211263318774846005248_4afd248084b.1.1.11045010791981138442.mp4?versionId=sySjU6cAust.V8YWDz_xsbov82De6TLM

It won't make SportsCenter, but Lee dragged the defense, forced it into attention, and noticed the moment Jae Crowder opened up in the corner. Not a lot of big guys make that play possible, but Boston's new power forward does. The Celtics need another dose of creativity, and if they get it from the frontcourt, that's OK.



bob
MY NOTE: David Lee won't shoot threes, at least I sure hope he won't, but he'll do just about everything else on offense. The question mark has always surrounded his defense and we'll wait and see how he does there. He actually played pretty good defense, not great but adequate, at GSW last year. Considering everything else he does on offense, adequate defense might be good enough. He is a shot creator, both for himself and for others. I think of him as a rich man's Boris Diaw, and I'm just fine with that.


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