The Boston Celtics are shooting the three ball at a historic rate for the franchise, and they shouldn’t stop now.
This season, the Boston Celtics have attempted the sixth-most three-pointers in franchise history, and they’ve played in just 51 games. With 31 games still remaining, Boston is on pace to shatter single-season franchise marks for three-point attempts and makes. While this style of play can be maddening at times, fans shouldn’t expect things to change anytime soon, nor should they want them to.
In the first three seasons under Brad Stevens, the Celtics finished 27th, 27th and 28th respectively, in three-point shooting percentage. That poor shooting was on full display in a frustrating first-round exit in last year’s NBA playoffs. Boston shot an abysmal 27 percent from downtown and even that number seems high.
The team’s inability to hit shots played right into the Hawks’ defensive gameplan. The Hawks swarmed Isaiah Thomas, leaving other Celtics wide open, daring them to shoot. The shooting was so poor that Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart were Boston’s top two three-point shooters at series end.
That shooting performance left many Celtics fans with a bad taste in their mouth, and are a major reason for their frustration with the team’s love for three-pointers this year. However, the fans should embrace this style of play. The team’s shooting is much improved from last year and is a major reason for the success they’ve enjoyed this season.
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This season, Boston is shooting 36 percent from downtown, tied for 8th in the league. They are currently tied with the Warriors in three’s made per game, averaging 12.2. The personnel hasn’t changed much from last postseason’s shooting debacle, but the numbers don’t lie.
The fact is, Boston currently has five players on its roster shooting better than 35 percent from three. Both Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder are shooting better than 40 percent. Crowder, as a matter of fact, is ninth in the NBA shooting 42 percent from three. Last year, the Celtics had six players shoot worse than 30 percent from behind the arc. This year, there is just one Celtic currently under that threshold.
Though it can be maddening at times, Boston needs to play this way. One, to combat their lack of size. Two, to open things up for Thomas.
I’m not taking anything away from Thomas and what he has done this season, he has been nothing short of incredible. However, Boston’s ability to shoot the three has played a part in Thomas’ success. Defenses are being forced to protect the three-point line, opening driving lanes for Thomas, who can find his way through even the smallest crease.
As evidenced in last year’s playoffs, if other guys can’t hit shots, life is a lot more difficult for Thomas. Defenses can pack the paint and keep him from getting to the rim, forcing him to find an open teammate, or make a difficult shot. If those teammates can’t make shots, well we all saw the end result of that.
If the Celtics are going to make a run deep into the postseason, they need Thomas at his best. Though he is having one of his best seasons shooting the basketball, he’s at his best when he’s able to get to the hoop, and the free throw line.
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In order to have Thomas at his best, his teammates need to make jump shots. If his teammates aren’t hitting shots, it makes it difficult for Thomas to get to the basket. If Thomas can’t get to the basket, Boston isn’t going to be successful.