Three Pointers Continue to Haunt the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics had a disappointing outing against the Utah Jazz and there is a clear reason why, they simply could not get going from three point range. The Celtics struggled shooting the ball from anywhere on the court but they may not ever win a game when they shoot 7-25 from three point range. It’s one thing to shoot poorly from three but take enough shots in other areas to make up for it. It’s even okay to shoot a lower percentage while taking enough shots to still have an impact. When only 7 of 25 attempts go down, there really is no hope.

The Celtics are going to be without their best three point shooter, Kelly Olynyk, for another few weeks but poor three point shooting is something that has cost them multiple games this year. The Celtics play in a style where it is difficult for them to maintain extremely high percentages. Their pace means they are taking a much higher volume of shots and with that it is much more difficult to maintain a solid percentage.

Unfortunately, the Celtics need to be doing better, even in that system. The Celtics take the 7th most three pointers per game with 27.1 per game but have the 5th worst percentage in the league. The Celtics play in a style where  high volume of shots cannot be avoided but they need to find a way to get their percentage closer to their attempts or they are going to continue to lose games because of poor three point shooting.

The true frustration of this problem is that it may not be fixable with the style that they play, unless their shooters simply start to shoot better and at this point you have to ask if the Celtics have the personnel for that. The Celtics have made it clear that they will continue to push the ball and they will not be passing up on good three point opportunities no matter what the situation is. The Celtics get too much success from the extra opportunities generated by their pace that they will not slow it down to try and fix the three point shooting.

The Celtics have established an offensive system that allows them to make up for poor shooting but they are too often shooting so poorly that it is simply impossible to overcome. The only way the Celtics are going to fix this problem is if multiple players are able to step up in the absence of Olynyk. The likes of Jonas Jerebko, Jae Crowder, Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley all remain legitimate options from three point range but they may not be able to do enough.

All those players mentioned have either stepped their three point shooting up this year or are right around their averages. It is hard to imagine where the Celtics would be without their shooting but with Olynyk out of the lineup they will not be enough. The good and bad news is that the Celtics have plenty of shooters who are disappointing from range. It is good in the sense that there is plenty of room to improve and it is bad in the sense that they will be depending on untrustworthy shooters to give their offense the boost it needs.

Marcus Smart is still taking plenty of three pointers but is finishing under 30%. Jared Sullinger has much less volume but is barely breaking 25% on the year. They there is Evan Turner who, with good reason, has eliminated the three point shot form his game almost entirely, shooting 15.9% from three.

With Okynyk out of the lineup they will need their top shooters to continue carrying the load but they will be incapable of avoiding games like the one against the Jazz unless those worse shooters also step up. The Celtics play with incredible unselfishness and ball movement and they will never turn down any threat from beyond the arc.

If the Celtics were struggling from three with Olynyk in the lineup they could be in line for an unbearably tough stretch from range with him out of the lineup but one saving grace may be that the Celtics should continue to get the same opportunities. The Celtics shoot so many three pointers because they do a great job of generating open shots form beyond the arc. It is not the quality of the shots being taken, it is the execution of the shot itself.

The Celtics’ problem has never been an issue of the quality of their opportunities, it has always been an issue of finishing the quality opportunities. The Celtics play with the kind of style that will ensure that these players who have struggled, will have an opportunity to make up some of the ground lost without Olynyk.

Next: Kelly Olynyk's Absence Could be Bigger than Expected

Three point shooting is a vital aspect of the Celtics’ offensive game and they have to find a way to get positive contributions from range without their best three point shooter. The Celtics have the options and should continue to generate the opportunities and fixing these issues will come down to the poorer shooters finding a way to finish more opportunities.