Boston Celtics Flourishing With a Consistent Rotation

The Boston Celtics have been dealing with an inconsistent rotation all season long. Injuries to Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley did not help but the team has had players in and out of the starting unit and the overall rotation too often. It has been a necessary problem because the Celtics have too many pieces that need to be evaluated but it has made the Celtics the most inconsistent team in the NBA.

The Celtics had had multiple three game winning streaks and multiple three game losing streaks, but nothing more than four in a row. They have looked like a contender in the east with wins against the Thunder, the Hawks, the Bulls and the Pacers. The have also looked like a lottery team with multiple loses to the Nets and another to the Lakers.

The Celtics hit rock bottom during a four game losing streak including back to back loses to to of the three worst teams in the league. During that streak their rotation was also the worst it has been all season. Both Smart and Bradley had to adjust because of injuries, they tried out starting Kelly Olynyk and even David Lee had a significant appearance.

The Celtics depend almost entirely on ball movement for their offense to be successful and chemistry can make all the difference in the world. During the Celtics’ current three game winning streak, they have had the same starting unit and consistent minutes for their bench players. A lot of people expected Smart to eventually get back in the starting lineup but with how well their lineups have worked over the last three games, that won’t be happening in the near future.

The Celtics were used to rotating guys like Tyler Zeller, David Lee, Jonas Jerebko, R.J Hunter and James Young but never on a consistent basis. It was infrequent for any of them to see the same kind of minutes in back to back games but that has also settled during their winning streak. One player has separated from the pack and the rest may struggle to see the court for the rest of the year.

Jonas Jerebko is not playing on a consistent basis and the rest of that group briefly saw the court in garbage time. The Celtics have settled into a rotation and are figuring out which lineups work the best. A popular one has become the three guard small ball lineup. Unfortunately, It may have gone too far when Smart was left guarding Porzingis.

Isaiah Thomas has already spoken about the inconsistent results that come with an inconsistent lineup and there may be no other player benefiting the way he is. Thomas is on the best stretch of his season and is making it increasingly shameful that someone like Jeremy Lin has more All Star votes than him.

Jan 15, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) and guard Evan Turner (11) react after a play against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at TD Garden. The Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns 117-103. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

Thomas continues to improve in what was already the best season of his young career. Over this recent hot streak Thomas has improved the area he struggled in most, efficiency. He is getting his shooting percentage back up to where it needs to be but his volume is not suffering. Thomas remains the best passer on the team and is starting to feel like a lock to be the first player since Larry Bird to average over 20 points per game and 6 assists per game for the Celtics.

The Celtics are finally figuring out which players are going to have long term key positions on the team and they are playing the best basketball of their career. By every standard, Jae Crowder is having a career year. He is a dark horse candidate for most improved player of the year with staggering more points per game and a remarkable increase in shooting percentage. Not too long ago Crowder was a liability, shooting under 30% from three. Now, he is being smarter with his shot selection and has become one of the best three point threats on the Celtics. One of the only players better than him is Kelly Olynyk, who is up over 40% from three on the season and is taking more shots per game than ever before in his career.

The Celtics are seeing players step up and that has left the likes of Lee, Zeller, Young and all the rookies without a role on the team. Brad Stevens needed to figure out which players needed to be a part of the rotation and there is no doubting he is making progress. There is no doubting that the Celtics still have a ways to go in setting their best possible rotation but the hope is that they have turned a corner with the three game winning streak.

For now, it appears as though Thomas, Bradley, Crowder, Johnson, Sullinger, Smart, Turner, Olynyk and Jerebko will be getting all the work for the Celtics. All those players except for Jerebko should be looking at around 20 minutes per game if they continue with this rotation and Jerebko will not be far behind. Stevens may want to throw some players in to help with a matchup but there is little sense in changing what is working so well right now.

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The biggest problem is that we have seen this before from the Celtics. This is their third three game winning streak of the season and once again the question of consistency needs to be answered. If the Celtics want to become contenders in the east then they need to prove that they can put together long stretches where they play well. If they continue to keep this consistent rotation this may finally be the beginning of one of those stretches.

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