NBA exec blasts the Celtics' bench: 'They have a lot of scrubs'

NBA exec blasts the Celtics' bench: 'They have a lot of scrubs'

WEEI WEEI 93.7 - By Alex Reimer

The Celtics may have their championship core. But that doesn’t mean they can just run back the same team and hope for another title run.

NBA EXEC BLASTS THE CELTICS' BENCH

There are upgrades to make on the roster, especially on the bench, which disappeared in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The Celtics only got five points from their bench. Grant Williams, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard were a combined -64.

In a post-mortem piece, ESPN’s Tim Bontempts lays out how the Celtics are poised to buck history and return to the Finals — a feat that other championship losing teams led by young stars have often failed to do. All of their top eight players are signed through at least next season, with Al Horford being the only one whom they don’t control past 2022-23.

Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart are signed through 2025-26.

Within the article, Bontemps quotes a couple of NBA execs who lay out their exceptions for the Celtics going forward. One East exec wasn’t very complimentary of their role players, implying the Celtics’ lack of depth could hold them back.

“They have a lot of scrubs,” the exec said about Boston’s bench.

He followed with critiques of Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s ball handling. “[And] they still need a real point guard,” the exec said. “I love Marcus, but he needs another person to help him, and it can't be [Tatum and Brown] because they dribble too much. They need someone else. If Utah [looks to move] Mike Conley, can you put him in there? Someone like that.”

Tatum and Brown both struggled with turnovers in the playoffs, with Tatum becoming the first player in NBA history to commit more than 100 turnovers in a single postseason.

The Celtics could use a veteran backup point guard, which would allow Smart to move to shooting guard when they run out a small lineup. Boston also needs a veteran spot-up shooter, and could use another big man. It’s apparent Ime Udoka isn’t infatuated with Daniel Theis, who barely played against Golden State.

The Celtics are counting on Tatum and Brown to continue to grow. But they need reinforcements, too.

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Absolutely true.

The Celtic bench is made up of a lot of scrubs. Bottom of the bucket. 15th man on the roster types.

And the team STILL made it to game 6 of the finals against a modern dynasty team.

Not bad.

. Mike Conley?

Looks like Danny is working back channel messaging.

I agree that Smart needs a real back up point guard behind him.  White is a good defender, Ime knows and trusts him but how much of a point guard is he?  Despite averaging 25.9mpg in his career he's only averaging 3.8 apg and that's not a lot.  The good news is that he's also only averaging 1.4TOpg, and a 2.7:1 assist-to-turnover ratio is quite good.  White's Offensive Rating (OffRtg = points the team scored while on the court per 100 possessions) is 114 and his Defensive Rating (DefRtg = points given up while on the court per 100 possessions) is 109 for a NetRtg of +5.

Back up point guard comparisons:

The much traveled, and currently "in the Celtic rumor mill" Ish Smith is 3.9apg and 1.2TOpg career (3.25:1) but he is a much worse defender than White @ 6'0", 175#.  OffRtg is 105, DefRtg is 114 and a NetRtg of -9.  My overall take, though, is that while Ish Smith is fun to watch he's not better than White.  It might not be fair to brand Smith with Detroit's DefRtg but the fact is that his DefRtg has been sliding for 5 years now.  

Gabe Vincent of Miami is 3.1apg and 1.4 TOpg in fewer minutes.  OffRtg 107 and DefRtg 111 for a NetRtg of -4.  Miami had a a high powered offense and a really good defense and his offensive and defensive numbers are both worse than White's.

Cameron Payne of Phoenix was 4.9apg and 1.8TOpg (2.7:1) last season.  He shot 33.6% from 3.  His OffRtg was 104 and his DefRtg was 109.  White's was 114 and 109.  So, whose offense works better when they're on the floor?  The numbers say White.

I guess, in the end, White isn't so bad as a back up point guard.  If he works hard on his shooting this off season he'll be even better with a full pre-season with Ime playing his Celtic playbook (as opposed to Pop's) under his belt.  Therefore, in my opinion, unless we're talking about the need to unload salary (like Danny did to make room for Gordon Hayward) I don't see Derrick White going anywhere.


Bob


.

As a former a French teacher. like Bob's dad, I take issue with Alex Reimer misspelling Tim Bontemps name, which means "Good Times."

"Bontempts" may mean a whole other thing - like butter pecan ice cream to a person dieting.