Boston Celtics Will Have to Depend on Their Bench

Everyone thought the Boston Celtics were going to trade up for a franchise changing player in the draft, but they didn’t. Then, everyone though the Celtics would make an immediate and big splash in free agency and they also have not done that yet. There is still time for the Celtics to make a signing but more and more it appears as though the Celtics will have to fall back on their depth in order to win next season.

Before you start to worry that the Celtics’ starting unit will never be able to keep up with the best teams in the East, you should realize that they should have the best bench in the east.

Last season the Celtics averaged over 100 points per game and did not have a single player average 20 points per game. Looking strictly at the starting unit and the Celtics did not have a single player average over 14 points per game.

Tyler Zeller was the starting center, but Kelly Olynyk would up playing more minutes per game. Isaiah Thomas came off the bench, but he averaged 26 minutes per game.

Apr 4, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36), forward Kelly Olynyk (41, guard Evan Turner (11) celebrate with team mates after beating Toronto Raptors 117-116 in overtime at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics use a very unique rotation that allowed 10 of their current players to average at least 15 minutes per game and 9 of them averaged at least 20 minutes per game.

The Celtics averaged 101.4 points per game with their average starting lineup accounting for just 52 points per game. The Celtics relied on their bench as much if not more than anyone else in the NBA and they will continue to do so next season.

The Celtics may not have picked a day one starter in the draft but they created the deepest core of guards in the league. Marcus Smart has the most secure position on the starting lineup and it is very doubtful that all of the rest will remain on the roster come opening day but with Isaiah Thomas, Evan Turner, Avery Bradley, Terry Rozier, R.J Hunter, James Young and Marcus Thornton behind him the Celtics will, at all times, have a fantastic back court on the floor.

Bradley, Turner, Smart and Rozier will bring some great defense and Thomas, Hunter, Young and Thronton all have tremendous offensive potential. No matter who the Celtics decide to put on the starting unit there’s a good chance that Smart will be the only one with any kind of minutes advantage.

Brad Stevens will be able to play around with size as Turner, Hunter and Young come in above 6’6 and he will be able to play around with offensive or defensive priority. Hopefully, one or two of the guards will be able to get separation but the amount of potential coming off the bench will continue to be overwhelming for opponents.

Apr 4, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) leaps to score a basket past the hand of Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) as forward Tyler Hansbrough (50) looks on in the second half of the Celtics 117-116 overtime win at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Even if none of the guards are able to get great separation from others the Celtics will always have fresh legs on the court and Stevens will have great options for any situation. He has his go to scorers and his lock down defenders and he will be able to create matchup nightmares for any backup guards that they face this season.

Even if the Celtics do not have any significant rim protection, they have an overload of offensive bigs. Jared Sullinger, Jonas Jerebko, Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk and Amir Johnson are all dynamic offensive threats. Throw in Brandon Bass who is not as dynamic but his 50% shooting percentage only adds to that depth.

The Celtics have multiple bigs that shoot over 50% on the mid range game and they have a big that shoots over 40% from three point range.

The Celtics will not get the defense they want from these guys but there is some potential in Jordan Mickey and with another year to develop Zeller should show defensive improvement. Once again, the bigs on the Celtics’ bench will be a matchup nightmare for opponents. Olynyk is one of the few stretch 5s in the league and a lot of teams will have no answer for him, especially off their bench.

Mar 19, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Jordan Mickey (25) steals the ball from North Carolina State Wolfpack forward BeeJay Anya (right) during the first half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at the CONSOL Energy Center. NC State won 66-65. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The best part about the Celtics’ bigs is all of them can be trusted to hit their open jumpers. The Celtics create a lot of open looks with their ball movement and they have no shooting liability in their front court. The Celtics’ back up front court does not present as many options as their back court, mainly because of their defensive deficiencies. However, Stevens will be able to get a lot of defense from his guards and Jae Crowder and that will give him some luxury to play around with the offensive minded bigs.

The Celtics have already done more than enough to ensure they will be one of the deepest teams in the league and even if they do not improve their starting unit significantly, providing a boost to the second unit will go a long ways to a team that shares its minutes better than anyone else in the league.

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