Boston Celtics Need More Jonas Jerebko

The Boston Celtics have had a shaky start to the season and their biggest struggles have been on the offensive end. The team is shooting under 40% overall and are even worse from three point range. The Celtics have lacked the flow that gave them success a season ago and while time will fix some of the chemistry issues, there is another way for the Celtics to get an offensive boost.

Jonas Jerebko was one of the team leaders in three point shooting a year ago as he shot above 40% from that range. Amir Johnson is the lone player currently shooting above 40% from three point range but it is difficult to tell if he can maintain it. Jerebko has an overall shooting percentage above 45% and even if his three point percentage is just 33% you can expect that to increase.

Jerebko is one of the better shooters on the Celtics but he is getting a lowly 12.3 minutes per game. While the power forward position is too cluttered the Celtics would be wise to start giving Jerebko more opportunities as a small forward. While the Celtics cannot afford to reduce Jae Crowder‘s minutes, they can give Jerebko the minutes that Evan Turner is wasting away.

Turner will be a stronger defender, but he is averaging just 0.4 more points per game than Jerebko with almost 10 more minutes of playing time. The Celtics should continue to go with Turner when they need a lock down defender but with the way Turner is playing, Jerebko will be a better option in any offensive scenario.

Oct 22, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; New York Knicks forward Derrick Williams (23) drives past Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Turner has taken his struggles to new heights this season. He has a shooting percentage of 25 and is yet to hit a single three point shot. Turner is also missing the play making ability that he displayed at times last year as he has just 2 assists per game. The worst part is then his 2.7 turnovers per game. Turner was demoted from the starting lineup and is no longer a primary ball handler and he still manages to have the second most turnovers on the team.

Turner is yet to have a single game where he was a positive contributor on the offensive end and simply reducing his minutes would help the Celtics. Throw in that the team has a solid offensive replacement and Jerebko could be a key to getting the offense back in track.

If you look at PER then the Celtics may be wise to give Jerebko every single minute that would be given to Turner. Despite still being near the team leaders with 21.7 minutes per game, Turner has a PER of absolute 0. Jerebko, in just over 10 minutes, has a PER of 10.6.

Of course three games is way too small of a sample size to overreact to but the direction these two players are trending is exactly in line with how they played a season ago. Turner was an awful shooter and a turnover machine last season and Jerebko was actually better than he is right now shooting the three ball.

Nov 1, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8) defends San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (20) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

One of the main issues for the Celtics is three point shooting and there may not be a bigger discrepancy between two other players on the Celtics. Jerebko will not be creating his own shot. However, he is as reliable as anyone else on the team when it comes to open shots. This would be a much harder decision if Turner was creating more for his teammates. Unfortunately, the fact that he is doing a lot more harm than good on the offensive means the Celtics cannot afford to continue to have him on the court.

While Jerebko would be a step back on the defensive end, his additional size could be beneficial. The Celtics do not want to stunt the defensive success they’ve been having this season but Turner is far from the top defensive contributor. Jerebko could help the team on the boards and even if he will not be as strong of an all ball defender the Celtics can lean more on Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder in that area.

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Turner has been an offensive liability almost every time he touches the ball on offense and with him playing over 20 minutes per game it has certainly contributed to their sluggish start. In limited opportunities, Jerebko can been solid and reliable and giving the other play makers another shooter they can trust will go a long ways in reaching their offensive potential.

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