Boston Celtics Are Used to Adjusting

The Boston Celtics were devastated by the news of Avery Bradley’s injury. Fortunately, they remain in familiar territory. All season long the Celtics have been making lineup and rotation adjustments and they are prepared for life without Bradley, even if it will be much, much harder. The Celtics have no way of replacing Bradley’s impact but they can be comfortable in another situation.

The Celtics spent much of the first half of the season with a lineup constantly in flux. Many different players have experience starting and are comfortable in Stevens’ system. The two most important players are going to be Evan Turner and Marcus Smart. Both have had experience as a starter and both will get a lot more time with the first unit now. And, most importantly, both of them are up to the challenge on the defensive end.

Neither of them are as dangerous as Bradley on the offensive end and that is where the biggest concern will be. The Celtics do not have another defender as good as Bradley, but they have the depth to accommodate that loss. On the offensive end, the Celtics are going to have to find different ways to get production out of players. Turner has proven that he can be trusted with the ball in his hands. Unfortunately, his shooting is far too limited compared to Bradley’s

Tyler Zeller, who has proven that he can be a great mid range shooter, has had enough experience playing this season to come in and contribute. The loss of Bradley is not only going to be made up by the backup guards. Given the way the Celtics play as a unit the help should come from multiple different places.

The biggest concern for Brad Stevens is ensuring that every player can play well in his system. The Celtics depend too much on their flow and rhythm to play anyone that takes them out if it. Zeller may not have had a big role this season and has certainly regressed as a shooter, but Stevens can trust him in his system.

If Turner is going to get more playing time at the 2 then Jonas Jerebko could become more prominent in the offense at the 3 and the 4. The Celtics have no guards they trust from beyond the three point line like Bradley, but Jerebko has proven he can be a top shooter on this team. Jerebko has been one of the more reliable shooters for the Celtics and he can give them extra size if needed. The Celtics were an embarrassment shooting the ball in the first half of game one and Jerebko is one of the best options to try and get the boost from three that Bradley usually brings.

Terry Rozier has had much more time in the rotation but both he and R.J Hunter have been given opportunities this year. Rozier is the best option to fill the guard depth in behind Turner and Smart. The Celtics’ guard depth allows them to constantly have solid defenders on the court and Rozier has proven that he can play with the aggressiveness and energy that is needed on the defensive end.

Hunter will then be looked to as another, deeper three point option. Hunter has yet to establish himself this year but the Celtics fall into enough shooting slumps that Hunter may get his chance to come in and provide a boost. The rookies will not have a big role but they need to be able to come in and make positive contributions on the court.

The second unit will be losing Turner and Smart for much of the game as they and Isaiah Thomas will be Stevens’ best option with his three guard lineups. Stevens will surely get all those guards playing together but that means the second unit will be missing them a lot more. The Celtics are going to have to depend on their rookies to provide that depth. Fortunately, they have had experience on the court but they will have to step up in a big way to help replace Bradley.

With Turner’s ability to play the 1 to the 3, Jae Crowder‘s ability to move over to the 4 and Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson and Kelly Olynyk all being solid options at the 5, Stevens has all kinds of lineup flexibility. The Celtics do not have a player that can simply step into Bradley’s role. The Celtics will have to replace Bradley the way they have been doing everything this year, as a team.

The toughest part for the Celtics is there is no time to adjust. There will be drastic changes to the lineup and the Celtics have shown a tendency to need time to adjust to injuries. The Celtics have always figured things out but Stevens’ ultimate test will be keeping the team in rhythm and comfortable immediately after Bradley’s injury.