Boston Celtics Would Be Wise to Make Jonas Jerebko a Part of Their Future

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2396014-boston-celtics-would-be-wise-to-make-jonas-jerebko-a-part-of-their-future



Boston Celtics Would Be Wise to Make Jonas Jerebko a Part of Their Future
By Michael Pina , Featured Columnist Mar 13, 2015



Boston Celtics Would Be Wise to Make Jonas Jerebko a Part of Their FutureMaddie Meyer/Getty Images







The Boston Celtics made a splash at the trade deadline when they pried an offensive prodigy named Isaiah Thomas from the Phoenix Suns for pennies on the dollar.

But lost in the immediate commotion was a second deal with the Detroit Pistons. Somehow, someway, Boston managed to turn a 643-year-old Tayshaun Prince into two foreign role players: 27-year-old Luigi Datome and 28-year-old Jonas Jerebko.

Both are free agents after this season. The jury is still out on whether Datome is worthy of an NBA roster spot, but Jerebko is a 28-year-old stud with size and a smooth shooting stroke. Boston would be wise to keep him around.




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Since entering the rotation on February 25, Jerebko has delivered the healthy dose of outside shooting Boston sorely craves.

He’s shooting 53.8 percent from beyond the arc, which is sustainable until it isn't, launching threes at a higher rate than at any point in his four-year career. His true shooting percentage is an unbelievable .632 and his player efficiency rating is 18.8—up from a career average of 14.4.

Individual shooting numbers are great, but all they do is show that Jerebko is capable of being efficient in limited playing time through a 10-game sample size. Where his real value comes into play is as a versatile pawn in Boston's quirky lineup construction.



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The Celtics don’t have any “true” centers on their roster not named Tyler Zeller, which has forced Brad Stevens to get creative. That’s great news for Boston, because Stevens is the type of coach who thrives on a losing hand. Jerebko has quickly turned into one of his most helpful weapons.

The 6’10” Jerebko helps space the floor, unclogging the paint for the Celtics' slew of speedy ball-handlers. Here's one minor example: After Thomas gets a step on his man thanks to Kelly Olynyk’s screen, he immediately attacks the paint. Why is the lane so open? Several reasons, one being that Jerebko has nearly dragged Anthony Davis all the way to the free-throw line.



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Sometimes he plays at his natural NBA position: power forward. And sometimes things get weird and Jerebko is asked to be a center. As of Friday, Boston’s second-most-used unit since February 25 (when Jerebko entered the rotation) has been him, Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, Thomas and James Young.

That’s five capable three-point threats, and nearly all can either screen or run a pick-and-roll with the ball in their hands. The versatility is astounding, and it’s no wonder they’re averaging just over 112 points per 100 possessions in 22 minutes of action.

Expanding these numbers out into a larger sample size, in the 68 minutes Jerebko’s shared the floor with Thomas and Crowder, Boston’s outscored opponents by 36.4 points per 100 possessions; the trio’s offensive rating clocks in at a NSFW 134.6 points per 100 possessions.

According to the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge had this to say after getting his man:

Jerebko’s somebody that we’ve tried to get before. We like shooting bigs. I love guys that know how to play and can shoot 3’s and have length. As a spacer at the 4 position, I’ve always liked him. And that’s what he does well is spread the floor. He can shoot the 3 and he can attack close-outs. He just knows how to play.

Stevens later echoed his boss’s thoughts, courtesy of MassLive’s Jay King:

He's a big that can shoot, play the 3 or the 4, space the floor. I think what he's really good at is driving closeouts, so I like his skill set. The obvious thing is the size. (Jerebko has) size, he's got the ability to stretch the floor. He does fit well with what we're trying to do, so that makes a lot of sense.

Offense has been somewhat of a seamless fit, but defensively there have been a few growing pains. Jerebko is a large human but pales in comparison to NBA centers, and his ability to hold things down as Boston's tallest player has been a mixed bag.

The positives are basic matchups. Most teams do not have backup centers who boast an array of devastating post moves. It allows Boston to throw Jerebko on guys who are taller and heavier than he is, without fear of them attacking him over and over again on the block.

In a recent win over the Memphis Grizzlies, this strategy worked perfectly against Kosta Koufos. When Boston had the ball, Jerebko would pull Memphis’ 7-footer away from the rim and let the offense breathe. When it didn’t, the Grizzlies ran their offense as they normally do and didn’t focus on dumping the ball down low to take advantage of a mismatch that could potentially throw everything out of its natural rhythm.

But as a help defender—someone who can slide across the paint, contest shots and consistently have an impact on the glass—Jerebko is understandably not an answer. He isn’t supposed to protect the rim, though, and shouldn’t be viewed as a poor defender because he’s forced to anchor some of the smallest lineups in the entire league.

He’s solid, a well-rounded athlete who moves his feet, has great intuition and can switch on most pick-and-rolls. That’s a nice piece to have, and the Celtics have held opponents to 3.0 fewer points per 100 possessions when he plays.



Maddie Meyer/Getty Images


Jerebko will make $4.5 million this season, which is a fair price for his skill set. The Celtics should be OK offering something similar (given the raised cap) on a multiyear deal. But if he continues to play this well and helps push Boston into the playoffs, there's a real chance that price tag goes up.

For the Celtics, despite Jerebko's relatively "old" age, he still makes sense as a quality role player who makes everyone around him better and can be utilized in several different ways. If the price is right, the Celtics should lock him up.



All statistics are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com or NBA.com, unless otherwise noted.




bob
MY NOTE:  In the .gif the author notes that the lane is open because Jerebko dragged his man out to the 3pt line.  What I noticed is that by the time Thomas was at the rim so too was Jerebko, while Jerebko's man was still standing there thinking Jerebko was behind him at the 3pt line.  Jerebko was the first player who knew, instinctively, that when the focus was on Isaiah that he should do what all bigs should do in that situation, go to the front of the rim. If Isaiah missed Jerebko was in perfect position to get the rebound.



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I voted "other" because I find it difficult to answer polls that ask yes/no questions but then impose conditions on each of the predetermined answers.  I'd suggest posing yes or no answers without qualification and then allowing the accompanying comments to modify the answers if appropriate.

At the present time, Jerebko produces enough (in the way of energy and skills) to be a nice cog in the second unit.  A lot of what happens to him next will depend on how Jonas fares during the rest of the season.  Moreover, if it should work out that Love is a part of the Celtics' future, it could actually enhance Jerebko's chances to stick with the Celtics (perhaps along with Bass) as a backup with both Sully and Kelly being used as trade bait.

Sam

All of our so called bench and role players are increasing their value almost every game. Who knows what they will bring in the trading market this summer. Sure I'd like to keep all of these guys together but that just isn't feasible. I voted other too.


beat

I voted undecided. Oh sorry that was not a category.

The Celts are sitting there with tons of draft picks and even if they traded 1/2 of them that still leaves a lot of draft picks. Will Jerebko be better than them?

The season as a Celtic is still young for Jerebko. After the season we all will have a better perspective on his value.


I do think that he fits into the roster as currently constructed.

dboss