Jonas Jerebko is Undervalued

The Boston Celtics have a deep collection of power forwards and the one that always seems to appear at the bottom of the list is Jonas Jerebko. Jerebko never appeared to make a run at the starting rotation last year and he averaged a lowly 18.2 minutes per game.

Jerebko may not be dynamic enough on the offensive end to make a serious run at the starting lineup but the difference between Jerebko and the other power forwards may be much less than most think.

First of all, Jerebko may be the most effective three point shooter on the Celtics. He will never have the volume of someone like Isaiah Thomas, but the three point shot is the key aspect of his offensive game and he shot it at a rate of 40.6% last season.

Feb 25, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8) celebrates a three-point basket against the New York Knicks during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

For a team that has been way too accustomed to players shooting the three under 30%, having someone shoot it above 40% is incredible. The best part may be that Jerebko shot that 40% while attempting the most threes per game of his career with the Celtics.

Jerebko has a very particular role with the Celtics but he mastered it last year. The Celtics like to look to their bigs to stretch the floor and Jerebko is, by far, the biggest three point threat out of the front court.

Jerebko may be limited in his offensive arsenal but he is helping in the area of most need. The Celtics depend too heavily on jump shooting to be one of the poorest three point shooting teams in the league and Jerebko is doing the best job at fixing that. Jerebko does a better job than anyone else at allowing Stevens’ system to create for himself.

Even though Jerebko may never break into the starting lineup the Celtics need to continue to give him minutes. In addition to being a sharp shooter on offense, Jerebko can hold his own on defense.

Way too many Celtics players are a liability on the defensive end but Jerebko does a solid job with a defensive box plus minus of 0.3. He will not take over a game and dominate on the defensive end, but Jerebko does not get pushed around and does not hurt the team.

Apr 12, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) drives the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8) in the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Jerebko also does a solid job rebounding the ball. Jerebko averaged 4.8 per game which puts him near the team leaders but if that is looked at per 36 minutes, then Jerebko is averaging 9.6 rebounds per game.

The best part is that it appears as though Brad Stevens is getting the absolute best out of Jerebko. His 9.6 rebounds per 36 minutes is a career high and the only other time Jerebko shot the three above 40%, he did it with 1 less attempt per game.

Jerebko may be the best role player that the Celtics have to offer and even though the Celtics are over loaded at the power forward position, they cannot afford to cut his minutes. Jerebko helps the Celtics in the areas that they need help and he never hurts the team. He never loses sight of Stevens’ system and he brings all the hustle plays.

Jerebko became a master of tip out offensive rebounds to create second chance opportunities and he may be the second most valuable piece off the bench after Isaiah Thomas.

Jerebko has reached a point in his career where he has settled into his capabilities and while that may prevent him from breaking out and earning a bigger role with the Celtics it gives them much needed stability. The Celtics have a lot of unproven and inconsistent players but they know exactly what they can get out of Jerebko.

Jerebko does not get much attention amongst the many power forward on the Celtics but he may be the piece that holds the group together. Jerebko may be undervalued but he should not be under appreciated and as long as he continues to come off the bench the Celtics will be better off because of it.

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