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Boston Celtics’ Unique Size Situation

By Joshua Bateman

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Jaylen Brown #7 exchanges high fives with teammates Terry Rozier #12 and Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 11, 2018 at The O2 Arena in London, England as part of the 2018 NBA London Global Game. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Jaylen Brown #7 exchanges high fives with teammates Terry Rozier #12 and Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 11, 2018 at The O2 Arena in London, England as part of the 2018 NBA London Global Game. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics do not have much traditional size, but that does not stop them from getting an advantage

Over the last few seasons, the Boston Celtics have invested a lot in playing small ball. They have continually gone to undersized lineup in the most important moments, and have always looked for the undersized forwards that would be able to hold their own while playing next to Al Horford.

This season, the only real traditional size the Celtics have is Aron Baynes, and he has been incredibly effective. Horford is also a seven footer, but he spends a lot more time on the perimeter and spaces the floor in a way that Baynes will never be able to, putting additional strain on the interior.

The only time the Celtics have adequate traditional size this season is when Horford and Baynes are playing together, and they have been great together. They are one of the best defensive duos in the NBA this season, and have caused a lot of problems for their opponents.

When the Celtics want to, they can go big with those two options, and with all the length and athleticism they have at the other positions, it allows them to hold their own against the stronger bigs in the NBA.

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The Celtics know that they are going to need that traditional size to win a lot of games, but it is still not what they want to do to get at their absolute best. The Celtics do not have that full time small ball forward that can start next to Horford on a regular basis, but they have a flurry of bigs that come off the bench and fill that role.

When the Celtics are able to go small in their front court like that with Semi Ojeleye, Daniel Theis or Marcus Morris playing next to Horford, that is where they unlock their real potential, and that is why you see a lot more small ball options there to close out games, playing the most important minutes.

There are still some teams and bigs that are able to break down the Celtics when they go big. During their brutal stretch in December, the Celtics fell apart on the boards, and their defense could not keep it together. There is a lot of extra strain on a lot of players with the Celtics using so much small ball, and when it does not work it is unsustainable.

When it does work, however, the greatest advantage is not just that the Celtics can unlock their best offensive potential, because they get the additional advantage of forcing their opponent to adjust out of their comfort zone.

The best way to prevent the Celtics from putting out their ideal lineups is killing them on the boards. We saw how bad it could get last year, but they have done a lot of things to fix it this year. It is no secret that Horford is not an elite rebounder. He is a capable rebounder, but he stays under double digits, and cannot carry a team on the boards by himself.

With Horford being a weak rebounder, the Celtics run into a lot of problems when they put a further undersized forward next to him. It is hard to imagine a team being strong on the boards when they have two bigs that struggle to rebound, but that is exactly what they are doing this season, and that is what makes their size so frustrating to play against.

The Celtics make up for that undersized front court by having truly elite rebounding from every other position, thanks to intense energy, great athleticism and phenomenal length. The Celtics can afford to have Horford play next to Morris because Jayson Tatum is bringing in 5.5 rebounds per game, Jaylen Brown is bringing in 5.7 rebounds per game.

The best part is that it is not just the wings that are making up for the rebounding, because their two bench guards Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier are two of the best rebounding guards in the league, and they are continually used in small ball situations because of that. Rozier might be the best pound for pound rebounder on the team hauling in 6.9 rebounds per 36 minutes, then you have Smart who might be the best player on the team at boxing out.

The Celtics like the rebounding that they still get from Theis and Ojeleye, but the reason this team is so much better than last year is because of that secondary rebounding, while the players in the front court try to at least hold their own, despite being disadvantaged.

The Celtics are able to play small ball, without really being too undersized when you take into account the entire lineup, and that is what makes it so difficult to handle. The Celtics have a weak rebounding front court, and yet they are a top 10 rebounding team this season.

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The Celtics are at their best when they can have three point threats at every position, and they can do that with Morris, Theis and Ojeleye. When they are able to rebound well in those situations, they are never going to be the team that has to adjust. The Celtics use their incredibly unique size situation to get their team at their best, and to take their opponent away from their best, and that is one of the biggest reasons they have been able to beat every single elite team that has come in their way this season.

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