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Boston Celtics’ Offense Catching Up to Defense

By Joshua Bateman

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Other than a brief stretch immediately after Marcus Smart was injured, the Boston Celtics have consistently played stellar defense. Too often the Celtics have been looking to their defense to make up for their offense but things might be changing for the better. By no means has the Celtics offense been better than the defense but since the beginning of their last road trip, the Celtics offense has no longer been a liability.

The Celtics have quietly been climbing up the offensive ranks in the NBA. Their 103.7 points per game is now 6th best in the league. Their 24.9 assists per game are 4th best in the league and their 15.1 turnovers per game are the 9th fewest in the league. The Celtics have been using great ball movement and have done a great job of creating extra opportunities and the results are certainly picking up.

Unfortunately, the Celtics are still one of the worst finishing teams in the league. Their 43.5 shooting percentage is 9th worse in the league and 33.2% form beyond the arc is 8th worst in the league. The Celtics have struggled to hit a lot of easy shots and that appears to be the only thing holding them back from being an offensive force.

The good news is that those percentages are actually much improved. The Celtics have shot above their three point percentage in 6 of their last 7 games. The Celtics are finally settling into Stevens’ offense and a lot of the new and young players are flourishing.

The offense is led by a tandem of guards that is emerging into one of the best in the league. Isaiah Thomas is generating everything by leading the team with 20.8 points per game and 6.7 assists per game. Avery Bradley is up to 16.3 points per game and he has been the best shooter on the team.  Bradley is averaging 46.2% overall and a phenomenal 43.1% from three point range. Thomas has struggled shooting the ball this year but Bradley has made all the difference as a great finisher.

Feb 23, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (left) celebrates with Avery Bradley in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Celtics defeats the Suns 115-110. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Even though Thomas is not shooting the ball as well as he did last year, the evolution of his role on the offense is paying off. Thomas is no longer as focused on scoring the ball (even though his points per game have not dropped off) as his ability to pass the ball is transforming the Celtics’ offense.Thomas is averaging 1.3 more assists per game from a season ago and he deserves a great deal of credit for the Celtics’ improved shooting.

Another man who deserves credit for this offensive surge is Kelly Olynyk. The Celtics’ bench disappeared for a stretch but Olynyk is once again giving them the boost they need. Olynyk is avering 9.3 points per game which is solid for the Celtics. When he’s looked at per 36 minutes it is much more impressive as he is averaging 17.8 points per game. Olynyk is emerging as one of the most effective scorers on the Celtics and he is doing it in many more ways than just three point shooting.

Simply having the threat of a stretch 5 is a matchup problem for defenses but Olynyk is emerging into much more than a three point threat. Only 3.2 of Olynyk’s 8.2 shots per game are three pointers and Olynyk is taking advantage of his shot fake in order to get easy looks at the rim. Olynyk is always looking to make the smart play for the Celtics and despite his embarrassingly horrible start, Olynyk has brought his three point shooting percentage up to 37% which is second best on the team. His 43.6% overall is also 4th best out of players that play regular minutes.

Olynyk has emerged as the best option off the bench and it is paying off with Thomas playing on the starting unit. Thomas brought a unique boost to the second unit and the Celtics depend greatly on the production of their second unit. Olynyk does not generate as much offense as Thomas but the Celtics once again have a player on their second unit that can exploit matchup problems.

The Celtics have surprised a lot of people this year and their defense has been dominant. The still have a lot of issues with finishing to work through but they should continue to improve on the offensive end. The Celtics have the ball movement that creates open shots they are still waiting for the players to become more comfortable finishing those opportunities.

Thomas has a lot of room to improve and James Young is starting to get more and more looks. The Celtics have yet to reach their offensive potential and if they continue to improve they can become one of the most balanced teams in the league. In fact, the Celtics are already in both the top 10 of points for and against on the season. It is not quite as good with offensive efficiency as the Celtics rank 18th in offensive efficiency (4th in defense) but they will certainly rise up those rankings if they continue to play like this.

It is easy to forget that for a decently long stretch the Celtics shot 26% from three. They had an incredibly disastrous start to the season on the offensive end and even if their numbers still are not great, they are making up a lot of the lost ground.

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The Celtics will continue to win games because of their defense but their offense is finally beginning to develop into a unit that can also win games for them. Stevens has already done a great job of figuring out the most effective rotation and he is getting a tremendous amount from his players. Take into account the youth of the Celtics and they have an opportunity to continue to get better and better as their chemistry improved on the offensive end.

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