The Boston Celtics have been using one of the best interiors to have success this season
In a completely unexpected turn, the Boston Celtics have been one of the best interior teams in the league. Danny Ainge transformed a front court that was an utter disaster outside of Al Horford, into one of the most complete and deep in the league, and he has done that without drastically improving their size.
In fact, the front court actually got a bit smaller, but the wings and ball handlers complement their small ball and versatile bigs perfectly, and everything has come together in a way that very few would have seen coming.
The Celtics were an embarrassment on the boards last year. They lost multiple games because of offensive boards alone, and Horford could not hold together their interior defense by himself. Amir Johnson was a decent defender, but he was undersized, which hurt Horford, and did nothing to help as a scorer.
This season, the Celtics have the fourth most rebounds per game, and their differential of +4.8 is third in the league. The Celtics have been getting an advantage on the boards in almost every game, and it is no surprise that their streak ended on a night when they were out rebounded.
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The interior is an area where the Celtics have been getting an advantage all season long, and they are doing it in small ball situations. The fact that the Celtics can be this strong on the boards with playing Horford at the five with an undersized forward beside him enables so much of what they want to do.
The Celtics are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, but they do not have anyone averaging double digit rebounds. In fact, the Celtics are in a unique position where their front court is the weakest part of their rebounding core. They have the best rebounding guards in the NBA, and they have wings who have an impact in that area.
The Celtics know they had an interior problem with so much small ball last year, and they fixed that problem without sacrificing any of the versatility that is so important. Aron Baynes is the only traditional big that was brought in, but he is spending a lot more time with the second unit now that Marcus Morris is having an impact.
The Celtics have an undersized front court, which makes their interior a surprise, but they are massive and long everywhere else. Jayson Tatum is an actual threat to lead the team in rebounds, Jaylen Brown has the athleticism to get the boards over seven footers. Marcus Smart boxes out as good as anyone in the league, and Terry Rozier rebounds at a rate that is unparalleled in any back court.
The Celtics have not been a strong shooting team this season, and they have struggled to score points at times. Defense is the more important part in making up for that right now, but their interior and rebounding is right behind it. The Celtics found a way they could get an edge, and their success in the interior has been a huge indicator for their overall success this season.
The way the Celtics are getting their interior edge is also vital. The Celtics do not need to go big to get this edge, and the fact that they can stay small in the front court, without losing an edge on the interior, causes a lot of problems for their opponent.
Normally the Celtics would have to adjust their small front court to make up for rebounding issues. By getting the rebounding edge from other wings and guards that make up that size, the opponent is forced to adjust. Teams will have to adjust when the Celtics are smaller, in order to avoid getting run off the court. When that happens, the Celtics get an even bigger edge in the interior, because the team they were already beating on the interior is getting even smaller.
The Celtics are finally able to play the way they are most comfortable, with the personnel that is best suited to how they want to play, and no amount of size is forcing them to adjust. The Celtics are able to dictate the terms because of the interior edge they get despite the small front court, and that is something that very few teams in the league can account for.
Next: Frustration of the Second Unit
The Celtics have been one of the stronger interior teams in the league. It has anchored their defense, and allowed them to get an edge on the boards, when that seemed almost impossible after last season. The Celtics are still discovering a lot about their identity this season, but is is abundantly clear that they are going to be beating teams with their interior impact all season long.