The Celtics Second Unit Has Been Effective

http://m.heraldnews.com/article/20150209/SPORTS/150206830/2000/NEWS



Celtics' second unit has been productive
By Jim Fenton
The Enterprise
Posted Feb. 9, 2015 @ 3:28 pm
Updated Feb 9, 2015 at 3:32 PM



With all the changes in personnel they have gone through this season, the Celtics have emerged with a productive second unit.

In 14 of the last 16 games, the Celtics’ reserves have outscored their counterparts, recording more than 40 points on 10 occasions.

Entering Monday night’s games, the Celtics ranked seventh in the NBA with 39.6 points per game from their bench, which is outscoring opponents by nearly six points a game.

The second unit has evolved into a four-player mix at the present time with Marcus Thornton, Tyler Zeller, Jae Crowder and Tayshaun Prince getting the most minutes. Kelly Olynyk, who has been sidelined since spraining his right ankle on Jan. 22, is expected to join them later this month.

For the first five games of the season, coach Brad Stevens went with Marcus Smart, Evan Turner, Brandon Bass, Thornton and Zeller as his main reserves, but he had to make plenty of switches along the way.

Fifty games into the season, only Thornton and Zeller (who made 28 starts before returning to the second unit) are in that group, joined by newcomers Crowder and Prince with Olynyk bumped to the bench in late November.

Thornton, a free agent after this season, has provided instant offense in his role, shooting 41 percent from 3-point range while averaging 8.8 points.

A proven scorer for most of his NBA career, Thornton has registered at least 14 points in five of the last seven games.
There is a chance the Celtics may deal Thornton before the Feb. 19 trade deadline.

“I would like to stay here,’’ said Thornton last week. “Who wouldn’t? We’ve got a good thing going. (But) I can’t control it, so whatever happens happens.’’

Zeller replaced Olynyk as the starting center on Nov. 30, then went back to the bench in favor of Brandon Bass on Jan. 22.
Acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers during the offseason, Zeller has been a steady player and is averaging 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds.

Crowder was picked up in the trade that sent Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 18. He made 13 starts, then went to the second unit a week ago tonight in order to move Smart into the starting lineup.



bob



.

I hate to say it, but I'm getting more enjoyment out of watching the bench than the starters. Part of the reason is that Prince provides poised performance under pressure, while Thornton's specialty is one that can be an exciting momentum-changer is a twinkling. And, as I see it, Crowder and Zeller play their respective roles with the air of veterans because they really know the game.

I'm not ignoring the fact that the four-man bench is playing against lesser opponents than the starters are. Moreover, while the starters are presumably being under the pressure of being groomed for the future in a Brad Stevens system, the bench players seem to be playing roles with which they're very familiar. Those individual roles just happen to be quite complementary.

So I'm not claiming that the bench is better than the starters. It's just that, given the current circumstances, I find the bench more entertaining.

Sam

Sam,

Bench players almost always play against bench players, and at the end of each season we always see how valuable good bench players are for every good team.

I, too, think that Zeller and Crowder are both good bench players for exactly the same reasons that you mention.  Thornton plays the role that many before him have played-the quality outside gunner.  Prince is not much to watch individually, but the unit he plays with always plays better with him than without him.

However, the understanding that these guys are actually bench players shows exactly why the Celtics need much more athleticism at just about every position in order for the big re-build to continue moving forward. A top level addition at the center position alone may mean ten more wins by next season, and that is nothing negative towards Olynyk or Bass even if neither one of them are actually true NBA centers.

The guys on this year's team have been fun to watch and root for.  They (and the coaching staff) are always improving, but to beat the teams with better athletes at so many various positions better athletes must be obtained.