Do Celtics have enough bench depth? NBA restart will reignite debate

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/celtics-enough-bench-depth-nba-151017532.html



Do Celtics have enough bench depth? NBA restart will reignite debate



Chris Forsberg
NBC Sports Boston

June 12, 2020, 8:10 AM PDT




Before the NBA shutdown in March, the two big storylines around the Celtics were 1) Jayson Tatum leveling up and 2) Boston's lack of proven depth.

Now, as we brace for next month's restart of the NBA season, both topics will draw plenty of renewed chatter.

Can Tatum regain the momentum he displayed before the season paused? The Celtics gave us 47 seconds of Tatum making jumpers at the Auerbach Center this week and that should satiate most (at least for a few days).

As for the roster, ESPN reported Thursday that teams will be allowed to fill open spots with free agents regardless of whether they were on an NBA roster this season or not - excluding international players who did not have FIBA clearance at the time of the season suspension - and that will most certainly rekindle chatter about whether Boston needs a bench upgrade.

The Celtics, you'll remember, let the trade deadline pass without activity then watched Marvin Williams - maybe the only player they truly lusted for on the buyout market - sign with the Milwaukee Bucks. There was a lot of screaming on our network about how Danny Ainge failed his team by not adding a player that could aid a championship run.

We consistently countered that, when at full health, the Celtics had proven themselves capable of competing with the NBA's elite and we weren't sold that Williams - or any other available name - would change Boston's odds of emerging from the Eastern Conference.

Three months later, our opinion hasn't changed.

Alas, Boston will have another opportunity to tweak its roster later this month when the NBA re-opens its transaction window in advance of teams relocating to Orlando. The conversation will start again: Should the Celtics consider adding a more proven piece to the end of their bench?

A few things to remember here: Boston remains at the 15-man roster limit. Any move would require the team to waive a roster player. Javonte Green, because he's got nonguaranteed salary beyond this year, coupled with Boston's wing depth, would be the easiest to part with, though he's well-respected in the locker room for both his personality and his perseverance in simply earning his NBA opportunity.

Boston will also be allowed to bring 17 players to the Orlando bubble with the league greenlighting the inclusion of 2-way players, which will allow Tacko Fall and Tremont Waters to enter the bubble.

The expectation is that the Celtics will be at nearly full health when players reconvene in Boston this month. Kemba Walker has had time to rest the knee that bothered him early in this calendar year, Gordon Hayward has had time to cure the bumps and bruises that nagged him before that, and a team that had its top 7 healthy only eight times before the season paused could watch that number grow quickly.

Will health alone aid bench production? It can't hurt.

Boston ranked 29th in the NBA in bench scoring, averaging a meager 27.2 points per game (ahead of only injury-ravaged Portland). Boston's bench brigade shot just 31.6 percent beyond the 3-point arc (the fourth worst mark in the league).

Admittedly, an injury to a top rotation player could handcuff the Celtics, who are set to bring seven rookies to Orlando. Add in second-year big man Robert Williams, who got only a tiny taste of playoff action last year, and half the roster is virtually untested on the postseason stage.

All of which will fuel the debate about whether the Celtics should go get a proven bench option, regardless of their warts. There will be nostalgic cries for Isaiah Thomas and clamoring for a dice roll with Jamal Crawford, this despite the obvious defensive deficiencies of both players.There will be some who yearn for a big man like DeMarcus Cousins despite three major leg injuries since February 2018.

In-season pickups so rarely alter a team's trajectory. That's not to say players can't help, and maybe the uniqueness of the Orlando bubble, as players will ramp up with an eight-game season, could be aided by having an extra bench option or two. The Celtics might just have to hope that all those fresh legs at the end of their roster are enough while more veteran teams shake the rust.

The roster issue becomes a lesser issue, too, if some of Boston's supporting cast can play with the consistency they lacked before the shutdown.

Maybe Robert Williams, with nearly six months away from game activity, can emerge as an X-factor. Maybe Grant Williams, after rooming with Kemba Walker during quarantine, has honed his 3-point shot and keep defenses honest. Maybe the fan-less environment of the Orlando bubble will allow another young Boston player to make a leap forward.

Maybe the odds of any of that happening are low. But we'd say it's more likely than catching lightning in a bottle with any late June addition.



bob
MY NOTE:  The time away from basketball has been so long, and the games that will be played going forward are so few, I don't think what we're about to see reflects on bench strength in general.  Everybody is fresh, but rusty.  In my opinion, age will be more of a factor than depth.  The older teams (e.g. Lakers) will have an advantage over younger teams because the older players' bodies haven't been pounded on for the last 3 months and their minds are not going to be completely awed by the playoffs and the bright lights.  Also, if coaches tend to shorten benches during the playoffs they can really shorten them now because everybody is fresh.



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Bobh

In many respects this thread dovetails on some comments I have made regarding bench depth, health and scoring options off the bench.

Our bench has depth but that depth does not reflect the level of experience required to be a championship ball club.  

If healthy Boston should be a formidable opponent for anyone we tip off against.  And with shortened rotations the lack of experience depth becomes a less decisive factor.

Despite these factors this team still does not have a DH coming off the bench.  Smart is a virtual starter by any measurement so I do not see him as a guy who can manage his multi-positional impact and be the big offensive gun off the bench.  I am reminded that games often come down to one of two possessions in determining winning or losing.

I think a guy like Jamal Crawford would be an ideal addition for our bench. He is a guy who can make one or two baskets under pressure.  That could be the difference in winning or losing a close game.

I feel pretty good about our team heading into the restart.  I would however feel even better with a sniper off the bench.  That is the one piece we do not have.

dbrown 

With only 8 games played with our top 7, this team played pretty damn good.   

But we have little margin for error.  One injury to one of our core guys could derailed a deep playoff run.

this team has already seen what happens during the playoffs hen a guy is out or less than 100%.

I do think Danny should really add a vet to the bench.

You want to add bench scoring? start Smart over Kemba, there’s enough scoring in that starting line up without Kemba and Smarts defense and all around game gel perfectly with the other starters. Having Kemba coming off the bench will definitely add a scoring spark to that bench provided he’s healthy.

dbrown4 wrote:dboss, agreed.  cowens/oldschool, very interesting idea.  Probably should have tried that earlier on since there's no history of Kemba coming off the bench.  Only him being out of starting lineup.  Might be too big of a risk this late in the season.  

When does the frenzy start where we can pick up these guys to add?

db

This can work because Smart makes us that much better on defense, we really wouldn’t lose anything, Kemba will still be getting plenty of minutes in my vision.

Or you could just add a shooter for the bench.  If you rob Peter to pay Paul you still got debt.  Kemba is a highend scorer but he is not a good defender so now your bench will be missing a defensive stopper.

I do not think the Celtics would pay Kemba all that money to come off the bench.

The Celtics just need a guy like a Kyle Koever who plays short minutes but can make shots within limited opportunities.

If rookies like Grant Williams or Romeo Langford or any of the other guys were dependable enough to at least knock down wide open jumpers we would not be having this conversation.

dboss wrote:If you rob Peter to pay Paul you still got debt. 

Interesting way to put it. Let's make it our Quote of the Day.

In some ways, Smart's evolution as a shooter has helped. At least one more shooter is needed, but Smart's progress has been timely.

In the short run coming up, if everyone stays healthy Boston could be dangerous. I think it's not entirely out of the question a banner could happen. Without laying exact odds, I put them just behind Milwaukee for the conference and LA for the title. Two players to plan for are going to be Giannis and, hopefully, James. Besides needing a young player like Langford or Edwards to step up the shooting, keeping Theis in good shape and on the floor will be critical.

I like the idea of Kemba and Gordon coming off the bench. Playing Milwaukee, I'd love to see RW on Giannis in a starting line-up of MS, JB, JT, DT and RW - with KW, GH, RL, SO, & EK coming off the bench. That starting line-up (that we'll never see) would allow RW to guard Giannis with Theis in the middle, then on offense, RW in the middle and Theis at power forward as the third option. Hope all are well. Hawk

hawksnestbeach wrote:I like the idea of Kemba and Gordon coming off the bench. Playing Milwaukee, I'd love to see RW on Giannis in a starting line-up of MS, JB, JT, DT and RW - with KW, GH, RL, SO, & EK coming off the bench. That starting line-up (that we'll never see) would allow RW to guard Giannis with Theis in the middle, then on offense, RW in the middle and Theis at power forward as the third option. Hope all are well. Hawk

I love the RW and MS line up, don’t know how well it would gel on offense, but agree its definitely worth a look, that looks like our best defensive line up. I love Smart, JB and Tatum at the 1-3 all pressing and switching and creating havoc!!

dboss wrote:Or you could just add a shooter for the bench.  If you rob Peter to pay Paul you still got debt.  Kemba is a highend scorer but he is not a good defender so now your bench will be missing a defensive stopper.

I do not think the Celtics would pay Kemba all that money to come off the bench.

The Celtics just need a guy like a Kyle Koever who plays short minutes but can make shots within limited opportunities.

If rookies like Grant Williams or Romeo Langford or any of the other guys were dependable enough to at least knock down wide open jumpers we would not be having this conversation.

In my scenario Kemba will still get his minutes, actually with his swollen knee lately less minutes might be better for him. I’m sure this break was good for him....

NYCelt wrote:

dboss wrote:If you rob Peter to pay Paul you still got debt. 

Interesting way to put it. Let's make it our Quote of the Day.

In some ways, Smart's evolution as a shooter has helped. At least one more shooter is needed, but Smart's progress has been timely.

In the short run coming up, if everyone stays healthy Boston could be dangerous. I think it's not entirely out of the question a banner could happen. Without laying exact odds, I put them just behind Milwaukee for the conference and LA for the title. Two players to plan for are going to be Giannis and, hopefully, James. Besides needing a young player like Langford or Edwards to step up the shooting, keeping Theis in good shape and on the floor will be critical.

NYCelt

A healthy Boston Team is a buzzsaw.  This team could win the whole thing but I think a bit more veteran depth with a 'specialist' off the bench and  a limited role to knock down the deep ball would be ideal.  The Celtics do not have a favorable matchup for Giannis and the Laker front line is formidable but Boston has a great top 6.  They can compete but I still think having that one bench scorer would enhance our weaponry.  I also do not like our matchup with the Sixers (1-3)  Interestingly we crushed them in game 4 116-95 and guess who missed that game?  Kemba Walker.

During the 8 game mini-season we will see if the team is really healthy and they will probably.

I do not believe we should be playing but I am pretty excited to see them play again.