Jonas Jerebko Should Remain a Starter
Jerebko has proven he can help the Boston Celtics Win, and should be a part of the starting unit
The Boston Celtics have had a successful first half of their season event though they have dealt with a multitude of injuries. A major part of the sustained success has been the reserves stepping up for injured starters. Marcus Smart has started almost half the Celtics games this year, and he was supposed to be the leader of the second unit.
Another reserve that has stepped up in big spots is Jonas Jerebko. “The Swedish Larry Bird” only averages 17 minutes per game, but has done great things for Boston when given a bigger role. When Jerebko plays more than 20 minutes in a game, the Celtics are 11-1.
Why are the Celtics so good with Jerebko? He’s not a necessarily a great player, but Jerebko does a lot of little things that contribute towards wins. Here are opposing team’s offensive rating when Jerebko is on or off the court.
On the Court: 108.8
Off the Court: 110.1
As you can see, opposing teams are better on offense when Jerebko is off the court. While it’s a small difference, it is a trend head coach Brad Stevens should follow.
Defensively, Jerebko has always used his length and frame effectively to both keep up with quicker players, and contain stronger forwards down low. That kind of versatility is what makes Jerebko such an effective player. His ability to switch onto multiple offensive players give the Celtics a great defensive weapon.
Pairing Jerebko with Al Horford and Jae Crowder in the front court would benefit the teams on both ends of the floor. The two man combination of Jerebko and Crowder have an exceptional Net Points per 100 possessions. In fact, most lineup combinations that include Crowder and Jerebko have high Net Points per 100 possessions.
Crowder/Jerebko: +20.4
Crowder/Jerebko/Thomas: +22.3
Crowder/Jerebko/Thomas/Horford: +15.9
Net points per 100 possessions is a good stat to look at when evaluating a player’s impact on both ends of the floor. Jerebko’s defensive versatility helps the Celtics’ overall defense. Since he can defend stretch forwards, it allows Horford to stick to guarding traditional bigs. This allows the perimeter defenders to play aggressive since Horford is closer to the paint.
Offensively, Jerebko’s shooting ability stretches the floor way more than Amir Johnson does. With the combination of Horford and Jerebko, Isaiah Thomas and other slashing players on the roster have wide open driving lanes.
Adding Johnson to the second unit would help them much more than the starters. Johnson’s physical style of play would be a breath of fresh air among the reserve bigs who are mostly finesse players.
Overall, the Celtics succeed when Jerebko plays more. On top of his versatility on offense and defense, Jerebko is incredibly scrappy that fights for loose balls. Boston only traded Prince to acquire the Swedish swing man, and it has paid off substantially.
Next: Brown Will Bring Stability to the Second Unit
For the Celtics to build off their successful first half, they need to add Jerebko to the starting lineup. Then I could see them begin to return to being the defensive powerhouse that we know they can be.