Could Jonas Jerebko Finally Seize a Bigger Role?

Jonas Jerebko is Boston’s best option to replace Kelly Olynyk

For his entire tenure with the Boston Celtics, Jonas Jerebko has been a solid and consistent player. He has been exactly what they expected and he done exactly what they needed. His biggest problem is the lack of high potential has left him in an insignificant and inconsistent role. With Kelly Olynyk out of the lineup and absolutely no stable force what so ever in the second unit front court, Jerebko could emerge as a 20 plus minutes per game player off the bench, and one of the most important players on that unit.

The Celtics desperately need shooting, and Jerebko is the only one they can truly trust on the second unit. While Jerebko may not have the game changing potential that other younger second unit players have, his trust is going to be much more valuable to start the season.

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Without Olynyk, the Celtics lose their only trusted offensive player on the second unit, and the only player in the front court that had a secured role. The Celtics cannot see their shooting regress from last season and that becomes significantly more difficult without Olynyk.

Olynyk was the only player on the team to shoot better than 40 percent from three, and Jerebko was the only other player that was even close. The problem for Jerebko, however, is he never got to prove that he could maintain that effectiveness in high volume. Jerebko has always been efficient during his time with the Celtics, but has never been utilized enough to have a significant impact.

Without Olynyk, there is a distinct possibility that Jerebko will be the most important player in the front court. Tyler Zeller was an embarrassment last season, Jordan Mickey is still too young to be given that kind of role and that leaves Stevens with Jerebko, who is right around 40 percent from three during his time with the team. That percentage has been maintained without eclipsing the 20 minutes per game mark, and taking no more than 2.2 three pointers per game. Olynyk, on the other hand, was taking three three pointers per game last season, and Jerebko needs to be picking up that slack.

The Celtics do not need Jerebko to become a ball handler or a play maker. While they believe that will eventually come with Olynyk, that is not the role he’s had in the past. Olynyk’s trusted three point shooting will be missed tremendously while he is out, and Jerebko is the only second unit option that has an opportunity to replace that impact.

It also helps that Jerebko has been a capable defender. Even if he is the best three point option, being a liability on defense will ensure that a player stays on the bench. Jerebko brings versatility at 6’10 and Stevens could use him to defend anywhere from the three to the five. Jerebko’s defensive rating has never jumped over 103 with the Celtics, and he could be one of the stronger presence’s on the defensive end.

Oct 15, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) goes up for a shot against Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. The Celtics won 119-107. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /

The are also preparing to potentially be without Marcus Smart for a short period of time. That takes away their strongest and most versatile defender. Jerebko cannot even approach Smart’s defensive impact, but at least he brings some more lineup options for Stevens who will have to be experimenting with the second unit rotation.

Jerebko has been held back in his role with the Celtics because of that lack of game changing potential. Right now, the second unit cannot be thinking about that. The second unit needs to prove that they can hold their own and will not blow games for the rest of the team. That will require players that are comfortable in Stevens’ offense and players that he knows he can trust. As long as Olynyk and Smart are out, Jerebko stands as the most reliable player on that unit.

The Celtics will also need some of the younger players to break out but the problem is that Stevens still does not know exactly what he can expect out of them. Stevens will need to continue to adjust and adapt according to what he discovers about the players that have not been a part of the team for any significant time. There is a lot of learning that needs to be done with a lot of the second unit, but Stevens knows exactly what Jerebko will bring. With Jerebko, he gets some sense of reliability and consistency and perhaps a calming presence on a unit that could be chaotic all year long.

Jerebko is also the player that will get the most respect from defenses on the three point line. They get absolutely no spacing from their front court without Olynyk, unless Jerebko starts consistent hitting shots, which could then open things up on the inside which is where Rozier will be his strongest.

Jerebko has always been pushed aside for the sake of the development of younger players with higher potential, but the dynamic of the second unit has changed completely. This is the most uncertain the second unit has been in the Stevens era as they are missing the three most important players from last year in Smart, Olynyk and Turner.

Next: Boston Celtics Starters Can't Afford a Slow Start

Jerebko’s contributions will be more valuable to the team to start out the season than any other point in his tenure with the team. The question still remains as to whether or not Jerebko can continue to be reliable when the volume increases and defenses start paying more attention to him.

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