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An Analysis of the Celtics and the NBA’s Changing Positions

By Michael Hilperts

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Position names mean little in the modern NBA as there’s a growing emphases on small-ball and the development of players who transcend traditional positional conventions (ie: stretch-four, point-forward, etc…).

You’ve likely heard pundits deny the existence of positions, as – in the immortal words of Jalen Rose – they were created “so a novice could follow the game”.

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However, when coaches draw up plays, each player’s differentiated by a number telling them where to go/what to do. Each number traditionally corresponds as follows: one for point guard, two for shooting guard, three for small forward, four for power forward and five for center. Considering every team draws up plays, from this perspective, positions will and always will, exist in the NBA.

All that’s changing these days is the skill set of players. The versatility of players at certain positions have grown dramatically since the advent of modern play-calling (in my option, ushered in with the three-point line). However, there’ll always exist a vague paradigm describing the DNA of an NBA roster. For instance, there will always be at least one play-caller, a few shooters, and several big men. Together, they provide the roster with a balance necessary to win games at the NBA level.

The Evolving Skill-Set of NBA Players

Traditionally, each position has a specific set of traits (ie: point guards should look to pass first) that have helped teams run recycled plays. You often see this pick n’ rolls, which commonly sets up both the 4 and the 5 at the elbows (frequently referred to as a “Horns Up” set) and set on-ball screens there, since they’re generally large, and thus, ideal for screens. Additionally, many generic three-point plays use the two or the three as the shooter, as there’s predominantly at least one shooter between those two positions at a given time.

What we’re beginning to see in the modern NBA though, are players doing things past players at those same positions have never done. For instance, PF Blake Griffin has developed into a capable point-forward, notching multiple triple doubles throughout 2015’s playoffs. While, there have been big men who’ve gotten triple doubles, the concentration of players with these abilities is at a high, and growing.

Right now on the Milwaukee Bucks, there’s Giannis Antetokoumpo, whose position still cannot be accurately defined, considering his anomalous size and bizarre clash of skills. The Bucks’ oddities don’t end with Giannis though. The shortest player on their roster, PG Michael Carter-Williams is 6’6″ – a size common among wings. Not only are the Bucks’ starters absurdly lengthy, they’re also extremely agile – making them interchangeable on defense, rendering all of them effective on switches after pick n’ rolls. As a result, the Bucks are an extremely difficult team to game plan against because a big part of NBA team’s offense is contingent on exploiting mismatches.  Because the Bucks’ starting lineup virtually eliminates the ability to create mismatches, they’re an elite defensive team. And since the Bucks starters can nearly guard every position, they’re in essence “positionless”.

Distinguishing the Celtics Three Distinct Positions

The current Boston Celtics team is widely considered “positionless” as well – but to a different degree. The Celtics often deploy small ball lineups and frequently position players in unorthodox roles. One such example is the use of Evan Turner – basically the team’s small forward – at point guard.

Stevens asserts his system is comprised of three types of players: ball-handlers, swings and bigs. The team’s ball-handlers are Terry Rozier, Isaiah Thomas, Evan Turner and Marcus Smart (who occasionally plays at the “swing”).

Next are the swings, players who set up on the wings to give the Celtics an element of shooting and cutting. This includes Avery Bradley, R.J. Hunter, James Young – and to a lesser degree, Jonas Jerebko and Jae Crowder, considering both play the four as well.

Swings are basically shooting guards and small forward who traditionally play off-the-ball, don’t set screens but occasionally receive flare screens. Swings in Brad Stevens’ playbook are far easier classifiable, than “bigs”.

The “bigs” are PF’s and C’s clumped into one position, despite the very distinct qualities as tradition states between the two. The Celtics’ bigs are Jordan Mickey, Kelly Olynyk, David Lee, Jared Sullinger, Tyler Zeller and Amir Johnson. While all thrown into one indistinct position, Stevens specializes his roster and plays to every person’s strengths and uses each player uniquely.

Let’s examine some of the Celtics’ bigs and examine how they are specifically used:

Kelly Olynyk

A key trait of some of the Celtics’ bigs, is that most have solid mid-range shooting, with a couple even having three-point range. Of all the big men not including Jerebko, Kelly Olynyk has the best shot from behind-the-arc, making 35% last season. This, on top of his lack of shot-blocking, has led many to question what position the 7’0″ Olynyk is: power forward or center?

While Olynyk gives opposing team’s centers trouble when he’s on offense, his poor defense makes him a better option for the C’s at the four.

If you had to classify Olynyk, he’d be a power forward – at least judging by his offensive tendencies. He spends very little time inside the paint on offense, with his transition routes resembling that of a SG/SF, as he’ll scurry to the wings in the hopes to hit a pull-up three. In half court sets, Olynyk will usually set up by the top of the key, and look for pick n’ pops from behind-the-arc.

But the only times you’ll likely see Olynyk in the paint is when he’s scoring in transition offense – a strength of his – or cutting/driving from the perimeter. Occasionally, Olynyk will also set back screens for the wings at the block. But for the most part, he’ll set up from a place that can capitalize on his face-up skills, marked by his ability to put the ball on the floor. Because his ball-handling skills are unique for men of his size, Olynyk has a clear advantage against opposing centers on offense.

With a third of his points are derived from three-pointers, Stevens has Olynyk setting quick, albeit soft, screens that allow him to quickly square up with the basket to shoot open threes. Olynyk’s pick n’ pop game is a large part of the C’s offense when he’s in. If defenders opt to simply let an open Olynyk shoot, he’s lethal enough to hurt the opponent, yet, if they choose to quickly charge him in order to contest his shot, Olynyk’s adept at finding open cutters from the top of the key.

Here’s a game where he expertly hones in on his transition offense:

Tyler Zeller

While Olynyk and Zeller both frequently use pick n’ pops, Zeller’s are always from inside the arc. Also, Zeller’s the only natural center on the team given his 7’0″ frame and ability to somewhat guard centers. Additionally, while Olynyk’s scoring in the paint comes in transition and cuts, Zeller’s comes from jump-hooks from post-ups.

Although Zeller’s slender frame gives him little advantage against other centers, his touch around the basket provides the Celtics with an interior threat. While his post-presence is not necessarily threatening enough to draw double teams, it’s effective enough to balance the team’s offense a little bit.

Zeller – by design – sets harder picks than Olynyk, seeing as Olynyk has to quickly fade back to the three-point line, whereas Zeller will primarily remain between the FT line and the low blocks.

Unlike every other big on the Celtics, Zeller primarily guards centers, or at least the bigger of the opposing team’s big men. While the other Celtics bigs’ flexibility helps perpetuate the team’s identity – embracing versatility – Zeller’s size and consistency helps the Celtics match-up against bigger teams.

Below you’ll see a game where Zeller dominated the frustrated DeMarcus Cousins. Note – at 56 seconds in – the play where Zeller hands the ball off to a curling Bradley and then proceed to go back-door to the hoop. This is an extremely frequent play call you’ll almost exclusively see called for Zeller.

Jared Sullinger

While Olynyk’s better-suited offensively at the center and defensively at the four, Sullinger’s the opposite. Sullinger’s too slow to guard fours, but on offense, he can just bully power forwards in the paint to provide him ample room to shoot.

Inexplicably, a quarter of Sullinger’s came from behind the arc – where he only shot 28%. While Olynyk’s open three-point looks came in transition – usually after screens or well-timed pick n’ pops – the majority of Sullinger’s looks were open simply because nobody bothered to cover him (for good reason).

While Sullinger cannot totally be blamed for this, considering Stevens never discouraged him from shooting threes, he should look for more shots from inside the paint. The offense often treated Sullinger’s post-up game like a traditional center’s; the guard would throw the ball to Sullinger in the low block, and then the team cleared out to effectively isolate Sully, who’d essentially play one-on-one with his defender. On post-ups, Sullinger was effective as his size and err… butt helped push his defender wherever Sully pleased. To illustrate, Sullinger shot 63% from inside the paint, suggesting he should keep posting up to improve his efficiency.

In the game posted below, watch as Sullinger has a post-up heavy game where he was largely efficient. At 53 seconds in, watch the Celtics run the age-old post-up the big man/isolation play:

The Celtics, a Team of Infinite Variations

On one hand, the Celtics have Tyler Zeller – the team’s only natural center – operating out of the high post, a place traditionally reserved for PFs. On the other hand, there’s Jared Sullinger, a power forward, frequently setting up from the blocks (as he should do more often), where centers usually operate from. And then there’s the 7’0″ Kelly Olynyk shooting pull-up threes. What this suggests, it the Celtics pay no heed to traditional positional archetypes. The team’s vastly different uses of its big men also illustrates how no two lineups are alike for the Celtics.

They have a diverse offensive system, which functions differently for each variation of players are on the floor.

One advantage of having such a diverse rotation of big men is that it allows players like David Lee, who have predominantly played PF to this point, primed to see minutes at center, ultimately giving him an opportunity to play more minutes. This can only exist when the team’s comprised of versatile players; if you were to be a center on the Rockets, you’d see very few minutes playing behind Dwight Howard, considering he has zero flexibility in his game.

While the Celtics’ big man rotation could be formidable if their versatility proves mind-numbing for opposing teams, they’re still lacking rim protection. Even in an NBA ecosystem devoid of positions, teams will forever need a player who can block shots. While Jordan Mickey may prove that piece later on down the road, there’s one player who could fix the Celtics and bring them one major step closer to contending.

That player’s name is Serge Ibaka.

Celtics fans have long lamented the absence of a shot-blocking center, but what about a shot-blocking power forward?

Being a floor-stretcher, Ibaka’s game would extraordinarily compliment the Celtics’ current offensive system. Above all though, Serge Ibaka’s shot-blocking would give the Celtics enough of an edge to make them a top-five defense in the NBA.

With the way the NBA’s progressing, Serge Ibaka will be soon worth over $35 million per year. His ability to help teams play small without compromising rim protection will make him the paradigm for bigs in tomorrow’s NBA.

Next: Why the Celtics Should Set Their Sights on Serge Ibaka

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