Boston Celtics Need To Unleash R.J Hunter

There can be no ignoring the glaring struggles of the Boston Celtics in the absence of Marcus Smart. The Celtics look nothing like they did when they were the league leader in defensive efficiency and too often they appear to be lifeless on both ends of the court. The Celtics win games because of the extra opportunities generated by their ferocious hustle plays and that simply is not happening anymore.

The absence of Smart is about more than just missing his defensive effort because it has clearly hurt the second unit. Whether it was Isaiah Thomas or Avery Bradley coming off the bench, one of those two guards consistently gave the Celtics the additional boost they needed on the second unit. The Celtics depend more on their second unit than anyone else in the NBA and with Smart in the lineup they were terrorizing teams.

Kelly Olynyk and Evan Turner were near league leaders in +- and they did their best work taking advantage of weaker second units. All of a sudden, the Celtics have lost any kind of boost from their second unit. In fact, it took almost a full half for the Celtics’ bench to score a field goal against the 76ers. With both Bradley and Thomas in the starting unit the Celtics need to find a way to get that boost back from their second unit.

Turner is not a terrible option to run the second unit considering how comfortable he is with the ball in his hands after having that responsibility with the starters a year ago. The problem is that Turner may be the most inconsistent player in the NBA and more often than not he has been hurting the team more than helping it, and then the Celtics have no way to generate offense with that unit. The same goes for Olynyk who is not having the same kind of impact he once was.

Olynyk is not a player that is going to do a lot to create for himself and his teammates but his dynamic ability and high IQ put him in great positions to take advantage of opportunities created for him. Well, there is nobody left to create for him and his impact has been non-existent.

Defense has been the biggest problem for the Celtics during this recent skid but it is far form their only problem. If the Celtics can find a way to get that boost from their second unit once again, it can take some of the offensive pressure off of the starting unit and then they can get back to playing the high intensity defense that lead to multiple double digit wins against playoff teams from a year ago.

He may not be a realistic long term answer, but if the Celtics are looking to boost that second unit with Smart out, now would be a great time to give R.J Hunter more responsibility. Hunter has already earned himself some sort of a role on the team. Hunter is averaging 11.7 minutes per game while the Celtics’ first pick in the draft, Terry Rozier, is averaging just 6.8 minutes per game.

Nov 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Glenn Robinson III (40) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics guard R.J. Hunter (28) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Boston 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Hunter has provided momentary offensive boosts and, more importantly, has been much better than expected on defense. Hunter’s defensive rating is sitting at 100, which is nothing impressive but is better than 2 of his 3 college years. Throw in a slightly positive defensive box plus minus and Hunter is holding his own on defense.

Hunter’s defense means that Stevens can trust him in limited minutes but it is his offensive potential that needs to be unleashed. Hunter has been a solid off ball scorer. Per 36 minutes he is averaging just over 10 points per game but the Celtics are yet to give him any kind of significant offensive responsibility.

The Celtics are looking for not only a scoring boost on the second unit, but they are looking for someone that can create more space for the other players to produce. The Celtics need someone that can put the likes of Olynyk and Turner in the position that they were flourishing in early on. Hunter is completely unproven but there have been some great playmaking moments.

Hunter is already one of the smarter offensive players on the Celtics and his great vision could allow him to create for his teammates. The bottom line is that the Celtics are no longer getting the offensive boost that they need from their second unit and Hunter has done nothing to suggest that he will hurt the team with an increased role.

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Hunter has some of the best natural offensive talent on the Celtics and as long as he avoids being a liability on the defensive end then increasing his role couldn’t possibly hurt a situation that hit rock bottom against the 76ers. Stevens may prefer to ease Hunter into a larger role but there may not be a better opportunity to see what he has to offer with Smart sidelined with an injury.