Boston Celtics Depth: Stability or Clutter?

Brad Stevens will have the difficult task of balancing stability and clutter in the rotation this season

Depth is vitally important in the NBA and has been a big part of the Boston Celtics‘ success over the last two seasons. They have needed the added boost from their second unit to make up for talent deficiencies, and Brad Stevens has done a phenomenal job of utilizing and optimizing as many options as possible to get the best result on the court. As important as that depth can be, now that their talent level is increasing, it becomes more difficult to balance the stability it provides while avoiding the downfalls of clutter.

Last season really gave the Celtics a taste of both the stability and the depth. Evan Turner and Kelly Olynyk were looking to set plus minus records with the second unit last year and gave them a distinct boost. Marcus Smart came in as an emotional leader and continually impacted the game in multiple ways. Their depth is what lead to Terry Rozier getting the opportunity he needed to get the role that is expected this year, and that depth gave Stevens great lineup options.

They had multiple three guard lineups and because of the lack of talent discrepancy between the starters and the bench, there were no issues with playing those bench players in the most crucial moments if it meant putting the team in a better position.

As great and as important the Celtics depth was last season, the first half of the year was unbearably frustrating in the front court. Tyler Zeller was a starter who saw his role disappear, David Lee was a starter who saw his role disappear. Jared Sullinger never developed his three point shot and Olynyk continued to come off the bench. The front court never got an opportunity to settle and it is impossible to tell how much better they could have been with a strong opportunity to develop consistency and chemistry in the front court.

Players were in and out of the rotation and it was impossible to predict was kind of role players would have. Jonas Jerebko was banished to the bench many times because of the clutter and Jordan Mickey still has never been given a legitimate opportunity to show case his abilities. The Celtics had far too many pieces in their front court that needed to be evaluated and it kept their rotation far too chaotic for far too long.

Despite the clutter and the chaos, the Celtics still had the eighth highest scoring bench in the NBA, and was continually vital to their success. The Celtics also managed to establish great ball movement with the second unit. They generated the third most assists per game from their bench last season and it cannot be overstated how important that was to overcoming their poor shooting.

While losing Turner is a tough blow for the second unit to overcome, they are in a position to avoid the clutter that hurt them last year, while fully embracing the stability they need to maintain their success. Expectations are different for the Celtics this year, and Stevens should be adjusting his approach to the rotation.

While there still are many young players that deserve an opportunity to showcase their abilities. Stevens should be taking a much more stable approach to the front court rotation. Ideally, he will be able to find an opening day starting unit and that can be consistent throughout the season. That consistency will allow the starting unit to get settled much quicker, and that can only help their chemistry.

The front court needs to put all their efforts into making sure Al Horford’s abilities are optimized and that progress will be slowed if the other starting forward is constantly changing. The Celtics have players they need to evaluate but more emphasis will be put on the immediate success this season.

The starting unit needs the stability and it will allow them to flourish. The Celtics may not get as big of an impact from their second unit this season (particularly without Turner) but that will put the starting unit in the best possible position to be at their very best at all times.

This will be, by far, the best starting unit that Stevens has ever had at his disposal but that will not stop Stevens from utilizing different lineups throughout the game. Small ball three guard lineups will still be valuable to the Celtics, and that is where the true importance of the depth will emerge this season.

While the Celtics are certainly more stable with Horford in their starting lineup, it may be difficult for the second unit to avoid the clutter that hurt them last season. The Celtics have Smart and Olynyk who have experience as main options off the bench, but after that there is a lot of uncertainty. Rozier is expected to take the biggest step, and could become the primary ball handler. As a 19 year old rookie, Jaylen Brown comes in at number two in terms of small forward depth. Jerebko has a greater degree of comfort but still needs to prove how much he can handle. Then there is R.J Hunter, Ben Bentil, Demetrius Jackson, Gerald Green, Tyler Zeller, Abdel Nader and James Young who remain fringe players with completely undetermined roles.

Obviously, it is impossible for all these players to have a role on the team and maybe even a role in the D League. the problem is how undetermined all of it is. Last season, Stevens needed to explore all his options when it came to the starting rotation, and now he has even more options to explore with his second unit.

The Celtics will be getting the stability where they need it the most, and it is an added bonus to have so many different options in case there are injuries or certain players don’t pan out as planned. That being said, clutter on the second unit could be inevitable this year, and that could threaten the special impact their second unit has on the team.

Next: How a Strong Eastern Conference Will Help Celtics

Overall, the Celtics will be in a better position because of their starting unit, but the complete rotation remains a work in progress, and an incredibly young one at that. Stevens has shown a great ability to accommodate and get success amidst the clutter, but establishing stability on the starting unit and on the bench could play a crucial role in how much of a threat the Celtics can be in the eastern conference.