Boston Celtics Key to Success: Turnovers and Pace

Because of their poor shooting the Boston Celtics‘ offensive success hinges on a high quantity of shots without sacrificing the quality of the opportunities. The Celtics need to get the most out of each possession and they need as many possessions as possible. They have the difficult task of finding how to keep their turnovers down while playing at an incredibly high pace.

The Celtics are behind only the Warriors and the Kings when it comes to pace. They are constantly pushing the ball in transition and play in an offensive system that is in no way impacted by the amount of time on the shot clock. A good shot is a good shot if there is 15 or 3 seconds left on the shot clock and the Celtics cannot afford to be hesitant because of the shot clock. The difficult part is avoiding the bad shots. A quick firing team often rushes their shots and forces the ball into bad situations.

The Celtics are around the middle of the pack when it comes to turnovers per game but that does not tell the whole story. The number of turnovers per game is much less important then the percentage of their possessions that are turnovers. The Celtics play at a pace where all their numbers are going to be inflated.

Of the two teams that play at a faster pace than the Celtics, neither of them are near the top of turnover percentage. The kings have the third worst turnover percentage in the league and the Warriors, who normally blow out any statistical category, rank all the way down at 20. Of the 12 teams that average fewer turnovers per game than the Celtics, the Pelicans are the only team that also rank in the top 10 in pace in the NBA.

The Celtics’ balance of pace and ball protection has given them the 6th best turnover percentage in the NBA. Simply being number 6 is impressive by any standard but the Celtics are unique in keeping their turnover percentage down while playing with pace. Of the 5 teams that have a better turnover percentage than the Celtics, they respectively have the 10th, 13th, 16th, 19th and 23rd fastest pace.

The Celtics have found a balance of pace and turnovers that is unmatched in the NBA, and it is the main reason why they are one of the highest scoring teams in the league, despite not being one of the top shooting teams. It is difficult to reconcile how the Celtics can have the 22nd best shooting percentage while being the 4th highest scoring team in the league. For the Celtics the key is that balance between pace and turnovers.

Stevens has implemented a system that depends entirely on a high volume of quality opportunities and the Celtics are optimizing that system with poor shooting. The Celtics have a collection of players that must always be willing passers and confident shooters. They need to be able to evaluate when they need to take a shot, when they need to pass it and how they can avoid making the mistakes that throw away opportunities.

Establishing this standard starts with the players that are controlling the ball and it is no surprise that Isaiah Thomas has been both the primary passer and shooter with the starting unit and Evan Turner has been the primary passer and shooter with the second unit. It is not enough that someone is either a willing passer or a willing shooter. Each player needs to posses the ability to make the decision that will optimize the quantity and quality of opportunities in their pace, and the primary ball handlers will be making a great deal of those decisions.

It is also the reason why Marcus Smart needs to continue to be an aggressive shooter, even when he struggles. It hurts the Celtics a lot more to be passing up quality opportunities than to be missing quality opportunities and because of their pace the clock is not a factor either. Smart is also a player the Celtics expect to improve from beyond the arc and they wan to instil a mentality that will help him in the future too.

Pace and turnovers are also the reason why Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley are cutting out their mid range shots, while being improved shooters. There is absolutely no hesitation when they get an open three but if it is not there, they force nothing and look to create an open shot through ball movement. The ball handlers are the tone setters but finding this balance of pace and turnovers hinges on all players in the court buying into the system and maintaining the same aggressive but not reckless mentality.

Brad Stevens has implemented an offensive system that optimizes aggressive but unselfish players, even if they are not great shooters. Shooting percentages become much less of a concern for a team that knows they will continue to generate a high volume of opportunities, and they know that they will not be throwing away those opportunities with turnovers. The Celtics are able to increase their margin of error shooting the ball by reducing their margin of error in pushing the pace and turning the ball over.

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The Celtics have been this successful because Stevens has crated a system that is suited for the players he has on the court. The players also deserve credit because they have adapted their game to his system. It is not a coincidence that the Celtics have seen almost every significant player on the team imrpove this year. There is a great unity between the system and the players and the results have been speaking for themselves.