Boston Celtics: The Problem with the Small Forward Position

The Boston Celtics have issues at the small forward position that needs to be addressed

Jaylen Brown has shown snippets of promising play so far this season, but it might be in the Boston Celtics’ short term interests to send him to the Red Claws. Brown was selected third in last year’s draft out of California by the Celtics and in his short time in the league he has impressed many casual observers.

He has freakish athleticism, the ability to rock the rim and to the delight of the Celtics woman fans in particular, a tight fade and some short shorts which make you reminisce about Bird and the 80’s. He has also shown glimpses of impressive defense. One moment in particular is where he was able to stay in front of the games best player, Lebron James, and block his shot. Despite this, however, he has also displayed a lack of consistency which has threatened to derail the second unit at times and has left Stevens with an interesting decision.

Last year one of the Celtics’ biggest issues, which many believed was the cause of their slow start, was Stevens’ indecisiveness and inability to decide on a tight rotation. This problem lingered for months and left the players frustrated and incapable of playing their best. There were grumblings on social media and eventually Stevens shortened his bench with much success. With this in mind, Stevens must decide on how he would like the Celtics to go forward with the small forward position.

Jae Crowder is the starting small forward for the Celtics. He was a steal in the Rondo trade from the Mavericks and is a man possessed on the floor. He is extremely tough on the defensive end and his jumpshot from the elbow is coming along nicely after missing games with an ankle injury. The issue stems from, who should be backing him up? Currently, the Celtics have the dynamic but very raw rookie, Brown, the ever present disappointment in James Young and the prodigal veteran, Gerald Green. On top of that, Marcus Smart, with his great versatility, is quite capable of playing against much taller players.

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There is no doubt that it is a risk to send a lottery pick down to the D-League. Will it affect his confidence? Will he demand to be traded? Will it cause unrest in the dressing room? Will he go into the abyss and never be seen again? Will female Celtics’ fans simply storm the court when they are robbed of the opportunity to see his shapely stems?

These questions are not the only issues that have left Stevens perplexed. Young has shown much more determination on the defensive end in his little time on the court this year and looks a much more polished player than last year. His jumpshot, however, continues to be an enigma. In fact, it appears to be easier to interpret the Davinci Code than it is to figure out whether the lefties’ next jumpshot will fall. Green, on the other hand, has shown that he can be a much needed spark on offense for a second unit that often looks lost and unable to put the ball in the basket. He is, however, a liability on defense and accentuates the issue that the Celtics’ have with rebounding with his inability to block out.

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So, the problem is clear, Stevens needs to shorten his bench. Now he just needs to shake off his persona as the sweet hearted guidance counsellor with the elbow patches and cheap haircut to prove it and break someone’s heart. Whether he sends Brown to the Red Claws which has helped improve Rozier significantly in the past, or he cuts his ties with Young or Green, the time has come because one thing is for sure, the Celtics cannot afford another winter of discontent.