Celtics Lack of Post Defense Could Haunt Them In Playoffs

The Celtics have shown an inability to handle imposing post players over the course of the season, something that could come back to bite them in the postseason.

In his second season with the Milwaukee Bucks, center Greg Monroe has seen his value tumble. His minutes per game figure has decreased from nearly 30 each night of the 2015-16 season to a career-low 22.7 per outing, his points per game has plummeted to just 12.0 after posting 15.3 a season ago, and his rebounding numbers have dropped from 8.8 per game last season to just 6.6 in 2016-17, the lowest average of his NBA tenure.

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After starting 67 games for the Bucks in 2015-16, Monroe has yet to be pegged by head coach Jason Kidd for a starting nod this year. However, Monroe clearly appeared capable of filling the starting center role in the Milwaukee rotation on Wednesday night, pacing the Bucks to a monumental 103-100 win over the Boston Celtics with 16 points and eight rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting in 27 minutes, his highest total in two weeks.

Monroe’s effectiveness against the Celtics should come as little surprise to those who have become accustomed to the Georgetown product eating the Boston front line alive over the past few seasons. In a loss at home to the Celtics in the inaugural meeting of the season between the two sides on January 28, Monroe posted 13 points and 14 rebounds in 35 minutes, his highest minute total of the year. For his career, Monroe has tyrannized the Celtics to the tune of 16.9 points per game, his highest scoring average against any opponent.

Boston was overmatched by the 6’11” battering ram in the post throughout the loss, which pitted them back into second place in the Eastern Conference. Whenever Milwaukee needed a bucket, they could drop it down to Monroe on the low block with the conviction that he would be able to muscle his way around the overwhelmed Al Horford with a simple drop step and mini hook shot.

Not having an answer for offensive threats in the low post has been a harrowing theme for Boston as of late. The Celtics nearly coughed up a home win against the Miami Heat on Sunday evening due to Hassan Whiteside’s 19 points and nine offensive rebounds, and were toasted by the Hawks’ Dwight Howard to the tune of 17 points and 14 boards on 6-of-11 shooting in their last home loss, an unspirited 114-98 drubbing at the hands of Atlanta on February 27.

The issue lies in the fact that the Celtics do not have a defensive answer for overpowering centers that can create scoring opportunities down low by utilizing their burlesque frames. While Amir Johnson can be a stifling post defender on occasion, his undersized 6’9″ frame allows seven-footers such as Whiteside to release their shot over him. Horford’s 245-pound body places him at a 20-pound disadvantage when matched up against the likes of Monroe, Whiteside, and Howard, and center Kelly Olynyk is outweighed by each of the three by 27 pounds apiece.

This notion is troublesome as the Celtics have a considerable chance of meeting up with at least one of these three teams in the postseason. As the cookie currently crumbles, the Hawks and Bucks are currently tied for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference while Miami is in a three-squad battle with the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls for one the final two playoff spots. If the season ended today, Boston would be slated to take on the seventh-seeded Heat in the first round.

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While the Celtics have been able to handle Miami this season, defeating them in all four matchups, Whiteside has proven to be a force to be reckoned with, averaging nearly 20 points and 15 rebounds per meeting with 65.3 percent field goal accuracy. If Boston is forced to battle Whiteside in the first round, they will likely need to send a perimeter player down to the block to double him. If Whiteside, who averages just 0.7 assists per night, can make the Celtics pay by finding shooters on the perimeter, they could be at risk of dropping multiple games in the series.

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