The Boston Celtics front court will be tested without Al Horford and Marcus Morris
The Boston Celtics have gone through some brutal stretches with injuries this season, and that will continue as they get ready to play against the Denver Nuggets. Kyrie Irving is expected to return, but both Al Horford and Marcus Morris will be sidelined. The Nuggets are dealing with their own injuries, so the Celtics should not be in a disadvantageous position.
The biggest problem is that both of these injuries are in the same area for the Celtics, and that will test their depth in a way that has not happened before. The Celtics have loved the front court depth Aron Baynes, Daniel Theis and Semi Ojeleye have brought, but it is not a good feeling to have them as the top three.
The biggest thing that will ease concerns is how injured the Nuggets front court is, but it is hard to trust what the Celtics will be fielding against anyone. This is a game where the Celtics need to anticipate making up for their front court, putting a lot of pressure on their wings.
The Celtics also have to be concerned about their offense without the two of them. They are the only front court players that really generate offense, and there is no one that comes close to what Horford does as a facilitator.
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The starting unit is going to have to find another way to instigate their best ball movement, and the second unit is going to need someone else to step up and create offense. Theis and Ojeleye can be trusted to hit their open three pointers, but it is going to be a lot harder for anyone to get space.
The front court will not draw in the same kind of attention that we are used to, and things will get harder on both units. Perhaps this will finally be Guerschon Yabusele‘s opportunity to really break out, because if he doesn’t, it is hard to see that front court depth holding up in this one.
The Celtics will see their front court pushed to the absolute limit, and they cannot expect them to get an advantage. The Celtics are a stronger and deeper team than the Nuggets, but they still need to find a way to function properly.
Losing Horford will force the Celtics to adjust in both phases of the game. Just as there is no one else to bring his same kind of facilitation, there is no other big that can hold the defense together like him.
Fortunately, the Celtics can still be confident in their front court defense. Baynes has been great when the Celtics need it, and both Theis and Ojeleye are having a versatile impact. If the three of them can hold their own and be a positive presence on defense, then they should be able to find a way to score enough to win this game, even if the ball movement is not getting the offense to function at its best.
The Celtics have no interest in starting a losing streak against the Nuggets, but nobody can expect this to be easy. The Celtics have already done a great job of making up for injuries, but they cannot fold the way they did against the Bulls when multiple key players were out.
You cannot overstate how important Horford is to this team, and no one else is going to replace what he brings. Fortunately, the Celtics have excelled at making up for problem areas this season, and Brad Stevens will certainly have a plan to make up for what could be the worst front court performance of the season.
It feels like the Celtics still have not had a real chance to have their full and healthy roster settle together, but we have seen some great games from the depth in the past. Against the Bulls, everyone came up flat. Against the Nuggets, they will need more than they did against the Bulls, but we have seen this team play well enough shorthanded to take down an also hobbled Nuggets team.
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Hopefully the Celtics will realize after that Bulls game how bad things can get with injuries, and that will prevent them form having such a terrible performance across the board. It will be a challenge for the Celtics to bounce back with such a weakened front court, but it is the kind of thing they will have to continue to do if they want to hold on to that top seed in the East.