C's May Rely on Ojeleye’s Defense Even More in East Semis

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C's May Rely on Ojeleye’s Defense Even More in East Semis



By Taylor C. Snow |  @taylorcsnow
Celtics.com


April 30, 2018



WALTHAM, Mass. – The Philadelphia 76ers have stymied opponents this season with their outstanding offensive versatility, but the Boston Celtics could have a solution to the challenge during their second-round playoff matchup.

That solution? Semi Ojeleye.

Fresh off of an outstanding first-round performance, in which he was tasked with defending Bucks superstar Giannis Antetkounmpo, Ojeleye will likely be called upon again Monday night to play a significant role during Game 1 of Round 2. This time, Boston’s rookie second-round draft pick will be asked to defend a plethora of Sixers players who all boast different playing styles.

“Semi could obviously be matched up with (Ben) Simmons,” C’s coach Brad Stevens said Monday morning ahead of shootaround at the team’s training facility. “But he could also be matched up with (J.J.) Redick, he could be matched up with (Dario) Saric, he could be matched up with (Ersan) Ilyasova. They’ve got a lot of good players.”

That’s a massive responsibility for a rookie to handle, but the Celtics have developed great trust in Ojeleye. And with good reason.

A number of players claimed after Saturday night’s Game 7 win over the Bucks that they never would have made it to the second round if it wasn’t for Ojeleye’s defensive contributions.

"Semi, to me, changed the series," said veteran big man Al Horford. "The job he did was unbelievable. Giannis is such a great player and his ability to take the challenge and be able to hold his own gave me extra energy on the offensive end and I really needed it – a lot of credit goes to him.”

What stands out about Ojeleye is his unique combination of strength, size and lateral quickness. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward has the muscle to body up against rock-solid, physical centers, but he also has the agility to defend speedy guards and forwards that drive to the basket.

“For a guy like him, with his stature and everything like that,” said fellow defensive stud Marcus Smart, “to be able to have that quickness is good for him.”

Stevens says that Ojeleye’s defensive mold is exactly what the Celtics front office was looking for this past summer in potential roster additions. They believed that such a player could make a major impact in helping the team go on a deep postseason run.

“That’s what we tried to fill this roster out with,” said Stevens. “We talked about at the start of the year, if you’re going to be able to win in the Playoffs against teams, especially here in the East when you start talking about guys like Giannis, LeBron (James), Ben Simmons – you’re going to need a lot of versatile bodies.

“That’s why we drafted Semi. This is what we thought he could become – a guy that can guard a ton of different people. And obviously he did a great job on Giannis last series."

With that being said, this series should provide a whole new set of defensive obstacles for Ojeleye and the C's.

“Simmons is great at handing off, and then you have to switch up to shooters if you’re Semi, or you have to be up on the shooters,” said Stevens. “It’s just a different challenge than in the Milwaukee series.”

But if there’s one thing about Ojeleye, it’s that he never backs down from a challenge. Horford claims that he is the “hardest worker on our team,” and Smart says he also has one of the best attitudes in the locker room.

“He doesn’t complain about anything,” said Smart. “He comes out here and he comes to work. When you’ve got a guy like that, with his strengths and everything that he brings, to see what he’s doing is incredible.”

The hard work paid off last series for Ojeleye, as he emerged as the X factor of the first round. Now, let’s see if he can do it again for Round 2.




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