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Aron Baynes’ post defense is suffering

By Liam O'Brien

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 18: Aron Baynes #46 of the Boston Celtics goes to the basket against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 18, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 18: Aron Baynes #46 of the Boston Celtics goes to the basket against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 18, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Aron Baynes’ defensive performances while guarding elite big men have trailed off considerably as of late.

At the beginning of the season, Boston Celtics center Aron Baynes was winning the hearts of fans for bringing a tenacious defensive presence to the TD Garden paint.

Over the past few games, Baynes’ defense has wilted, drilled into the ground by the likes of  Pelicans forward Anthony Davis and 76ers center Joel Embiid.

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Granted, both of these unicorn-like behemoths are All-Star starters, but if Baynes can’t step up and at least chip away at their efficiency in the post, the Celtics have nobody that can.

On Tuesday night in Boston, Davis scored 45 points while not making a single three-pointer. He made eight field goals in the paint, matching the number of offensive rebounds he garnered while pushing Baynes and Al Horford out of the way with ease.

Two nights later, Embiid came into TD Garden and asserted his will. On an evening in which he was selected to his first All-Star team, “The Process” scored 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds with all 10 of his field goal makes coming inside the three-point arc.

Baynes defensive rating of 100.7 in January is the worst on the team for players not named Abdel Nader or Guerschon Yabusele. That’s a far cry from November, when Baynes defensive rating of 94.1 ranked third on the squad, or December, when Baynes was the only rotation player to have a defensive rating under 100.

Embiid took Baynes to task from the outset of the game on Thursday night. Not even five minutes had passed before Embiid isolated himself on Baynes 10 feet from the basket before stepping back for a Dirk Nowitzki-style fadeaway without a contest. On the other end of the floor, Embiid swatted Baynes right-handed baby hook attempt.

The abuse continued in the second half. With two minutes to go in the third quarter, the four other 76ers on the floor vacated the left side of the floor, leaving Embiid to work on Baynes. Embiid got Baynes on his back before turning to his right, sweeping the ball through contact and making a one-hander from just inside the elbow for an and-one.

At the end of the stanza, Embiid scored perhaps his most controversial bucket of the night. After Robert Covington was forced to rush a deep two-pointer from the right corner as the shot clock wound down to two seconds, Embiid hustled into the lane to contest for an offensive rebound.

In his contest, he pushed Baynes in the back to clear space for a tip-out from teammate Jerryd Bayless. Embiid then corralled the ball from eight feet out and made a short jumper to give Philadelphia a 69-51 lead.

While Celtics fans are justified in complaining at the lack of a call, the foul was not called because Baynes was out of position for the rebound to begin with. He hardly attempted to box out Embiid, deciding to stand in the paint and wait for the rebound. The only effort he gave to box out came in the form of a lazy arm extended in Embiid’s direction.

The Sixers went right back to the well to begin the fourth quarter. Once again they isolated Embiid on the left side of the floor and he attacked Baynes before hitting the exact same type of jumper that he canned on the and-one finish minutes earlier. On the next possession, Philadelphia cleared out for him again on the left side. Expecting Embiid to work on him with a dribble move as he had before, Baynes softened his stance and put his hand down.

This allowed Embiid to get his arms extended and make a midrange jumper in Baynes’ eye.

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If the postseason started today, the eighth-seeded 76ers would remain in Boston to begin a first-round series. If the Celtics wish to escape a matchup like this without seeing the series last for seven games, Baynes defensive effort must return to November levels.

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