Injuries will force the Boston Celtics to test their depth early on
The back end of the Boston Celtics rotation has been the biggest question mark on the team this offseason. The loss of Evan Turner took away their primary ball handler and the loss of Jared Sullinger has opened the door for multiple front court players to step up.
To make matters worse, the Celtics are going to be without the two most established players on their second unit. Kelly Olynyk is not expected back until mid november, and Marcus Smart‘s recent injury could briefly keep him sidelined to start out the season.
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For the front court and the back court, the Celtics are going to need players to step up on their second unit, and it is likely to come from an unfamiliar source. The Celtics are losing their only trusted offensive option on the second unit and best three point shooter on the team in Olynyk. With Smart, they are losing the ball handler that has established the greatest level of comfort as well as their emotional and defensive leader.
The Celtics will not be able to replace these guys, but it will give them an opportunity to see how their depth can hold up with those loses to the second unit. This can open the door for players that still need to prove their worth to the team, but it could end disastrous on multiple levels.
For ball handling, the Celtics are confident in Terry Rozier. He does not have much experience, but they love what they have seen out of him and, even if Smart is in the lineup, there is a good chance that Rozier would spend more time as a ball handler. Smart’s defense is going to be what is missed most from him, and they do not have an option to even attempt to replace that.
Rozier can be a strong defender but Gerald Green, James Young and R.J Hunter have all struggled on defense, and they will not be picking up the slack on that end. The Celtics will need to collectively play better on defense, but there is no chance they can be as good on defense with Smart sidelined. The good news, however, is that Smart is not expected to miss a lot of time and opening day still has not been definitively ruled out.
Smart’s absence does put more emphasis on the fight for that final roster spot. As long as Smart is out of the lineup the door will be open for Young or Hunter to be a featured player in the rotation. That final roster spot is not expected to be a main contributor, but injuries are the best way for them to get into the rotation.
Finding a way to have an impact while Smart is out could make all the difference for whoever gets that final roster spot. Only so much trust can be established in the preseason, and Smart’s injury presents a unique opportunity for one of these young guards to get opportunities that would otherwise not be available.
The loss of Olynyk also takes away an irreplaceable shooter. The Celtics cannot hope to have another forward that can shoot like Olynyk, but they still need to make progress in terms of settling their front court rotation, and now there will be more opportunities. Olynyk was the most solidified forward on the second unit and the only one whose role would never be in question. When Olynyk returns he will not have to worry about losing anything in his role.
For now, expect Jonas Jerebko to fill in a similar type of role. He can be a trusted shooter while not being a liability on the defensive end, but he will remain a downgrade from the top three point shooter on the team. The Celtics do not lose too much on the defensive end without Olynyk, and that could make for intriguing competition. It will be Jerebko at first, but the door is open for someone else to emerge.
Depending on how the final roster shapes up, Jordan Mickey could see himself in a bigger role than expected, and this could also open things up more for Jaylen Brown to play the four. Tyler Zeller will also get an opportunity to rediscover his form from two seasons ago, and the lack of options could give him a legitimate role for the time being.
The Celtics need to prepare to be without Olynyk for a little while and that should give the back end of their fort court the room they need to settle. Without Olynyk, it is completely undetermined in terms of who will be the main front court players. Unfortunately, the second unit could struggle a lot initially, but this could make them stronger in the long run.
With how much work and progress needs to be made with the back end of the front court, they should be much more settled and in a much stronger position to make their run in the eastern conference.
Fortunately, the Celtics should be depending much less on their second unit than previous years. Their starters are much stronger, but it could be a struggle dealing with the injuries to Olynyk and Smart. Both of those players transform what the second unit looks like. They are the players that get the most attention from opponents. Smart forces teams to make offensive adjustments, and Olynyk does the same for opposing defenses.
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Stevens has always managed to get an impact from his second unit, but that may be unrealistic, at least for now. There is too much youth and too much inexperience to expect that second unit to be strong to begin the season. What these injuries to help with, however, is chemistry. The Celtics do not need to worry about Olynyk or Smart’s chemistry or level or comfort, and as long as they are out it will be easier for those other players to get themselves established and ready to have an impact.