Brad Stevens’ Fluid Playoff Rotation
Brad Stevens continues to change his rotation at every turn, and somehow he keeps getting the results he needs
When Brad Stevens decided to bench Amir Johnson for Gerald Green against the Chicago Bulls, he pulled a move that no one saw coming. Stevens made his grand adjustment and it worked to perfection. Except, that is just one part of a web of adjustments that very few would be able to properly figure out.
Stevens is doing something with his rotation that is rarely seen in the playoffs, and borderlines on the insane at times. The Celtics are currently up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Semi Finals, and it is impossible to know who will be their fifth starter when they head to Washington.
The two most recent starters, Green and Johnson, have been complete non factors against the Wizards. The two of them are unlikely to see the court much against this series. Then again, who knows, because Stevens is moving his rotation around in the most unpredictable way.
It is difficult enough to figure out who will actually be starting, or who will be the first player off the bench, tying to find consistency in the minutes being played by each player feels impossible right now.
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Isaiah Thomas has played an entire first quarter, he has exited the first quarter and remained out for the final five minutes. He has exited with around six minutes left, to return to close the final two minutes of the quarter.
The same thing goes for the fourth quarter. He has played the entire fourth quarter multiple times, and has sat as much as six minutes in the fourth quarter in the playoffs. Stevens has established absolutely no consistency to the minutes being played by any player, and that has become one of their biggest strengths.
There is the danger of continuity, and there is no doubting that the inability of those two starting lineups to work has helped contribute to the massive deficits in the first. Stevens has no comfort in knowing he can find that ideal starting lineup, but he knows he has options.
Stevens has been changing and adapting the rotation every step of the way. There are probably too many factors for anyone other than Stevens to identify, but Stevens is letting the match ups on the court dictate how he needs to use the players on his bench.
Stevens is finding an aspect of the opponent that each bench player can address, and he is putting them in that position. Stevens understands their strengths and is not leaving any players out to dry. Any bench player comes in because they have an opportunity to succeed. It is why Johnson was taken out of the rotation against the Bulls. The reality was that he could not get any advantage against them, and Stevens did not put him in a position to fail. The same was done to Brown against the Bulls, but now that he is in a better position to succeed against the Wizards, he is playing a big role.
Accompanying Stevens’ brilliant ability to make sure the players on the court are in a position to succeed, is every player taking advantage of their opportunity. There was a point when Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier, two of the worst shooters on the team, took over for multiple possession on offense. Kelly Olynyk is hitting all kinds of shots, and is becoming a problem attacking on the inside.
The bench players have given Stevens a lot to work with, and it has been amazing to watch him cycle through his players, trying to make sure things can function well for the players on the court.
A lot of it may have to do with the opposing benches, but ever since Stevens has taken this approach of adapting and changing his rotation throughout the game, he has been putting together some of the most obscure lineups who continue to get results.
It is a testament to the culture of this team, and the impact of the whole coaching staff that everyone has not only proven that they are ready to come in without any notice, but everyone has also been willing to sacrifice their role at any time. Again Brown is a great example. After only playing garbage time to close the Bulls series, it was not until five minutes left in the fourth against the Wizards that Brown was called, and the way he answered earned him this role.
Right up to Smart taking himself out of the game, each player on this team has fully bought into what Stevens is doing. They are trusting him completely, and everyone has bought into making sure the overall team is the number one priority, and is always in a good place.
All that really matters is that these players continue to take advantage of the opportunities given to them by Stevens, but this approach exposes one of the biggest problems the Wizards have. Stevens is finding out how to optimize the units that can expose the lack of depth on the Wizards, and it continues to work.
The Celtics have been able to consistently go on a run any time John Wall hits the bench. The Wizards do not function at nearly the same level without Wall, and Stevens is making sure any lineup he has is set up to function properly, creating an advantage every time.
Next: Boston Celtics Road Success Will be Put to the Test
A lot of things have been working well for the Celtics in the first two games, but it is a delicate process. First of all, we still need to find out who will be starting because that has clearly been the one glaring problem with the rotation in this series.