Is Small Ball the Solution for the Boston Celtics?
The Boston Celtics’ versatility could be the biggest key to success
The Boston Celtics’ roster for the upcoming season could be easily described as one of the most -if not the most- versatile in the NBA. Brad Stevens has at his disposal a handful of players that can play in multiple positions and that gives him the flexibility to experiment with various lineups. In an era that small ball has become the hottest trend among NBA teams, it is important for a head coach to be able to use “smaller lineups” during games throughout the season.
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Generally speaking, smaller lineups help teams to enable a faster pace and space the floor more effectively with either the use of three guards or a forward who can shoot from distance at the PF position. On the other hand, small ball teams usually have issues in the defensive end, especially near the basket where they may have a hard time facing a potential mismatch against bigger and stronger opponents.
Last season the Celtics experienced some success with the small ball mostly due to the fact that Jae Crowder is a forward who can defend multiple positions and Marcus Smart is a high energy guard who is comfortable guarding bigger opponents. The Celtics were able to switch on defense not only with Smart or Crowder, but also with guys like Jonas Jerebko and Avery Bradley and, more importantly, going small generated more spacing and gave their ball handlers, like Isaiah Thomas, more room to attack.
If we take a look at nba.com/stats, we will see that the Celtics’ lineup with the highest Offensive Rating was with Jerebko at PF (Smart, Bradley, Turner, Jerebko, Olynyk with 118.9 OffRtg). In addition, the lineup with the best Defensive Rating was with Crowder playing PF (Thomas, Bradley, Turner, Crowder, Sullinger).
The addition of Al Horford is ideal for Boston, as it gives Brad Stevens many more options to experiment with. As Stevens has already mentioned, Horford is a complement to every other big man on the roster. He can play alongside everyone and he has also the quality and versatility to play at both frontcourt positions. Moreover, if we take Jaylen Brown’s abilities and potential into consideration, we can imagine a lineup of Smart, Bradley, Brown, Crowder, Horford which can play heavy minutes together as a small ball lineup. This lineup could be an excellent defensive unit that could force turnovers so as to run the floor and it will be quite interesting to see these five players together on the court.
Versatility is a big key for success in today’s NBA. The Celtics look to have so many different options whether they decide to go small or play with more traditional lineups. In my opinion, the projected starting five of Thomas, Bradley, Crowder, Johnson, Horford looks the most appealing option, at least for the biggest part of the season. Olynyk next to Horford would be another great option, as this lineup would provide better shooting and spacing both of which are very crucial for Boston’s offense.
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The versatility of many players in the roster is one of the biggest weapons in Brad Stevens’ arsenal as Boston’s head coach can throw in multiple lineups and exploit certain mismatches without necessarily having to go small or big. The challenge for the Celtics’ coaching staff this year will be to figure out what is the lineup that works best for them and which rotation proves to be the most efficient. Small ball obviously is not a cure for everything, but it’s definitely a very good option for the Boston Celtics to use this upcoming season. For how long they will use it, I guess it depends on what will work best for the team and also on the potential match-ups every given night.