Hardwood Houdini
Fansided

Boston Celtics: Injuries Highlight Brad Stevens’ Positionless Approach

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 04: Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics celebrates with Terry Rozier #12 of the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden on February 4, 2018 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. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 04: Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics celebrates with Terry Rozier #12 of the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden on February 4, 2018 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. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Boston Celtics are showing the value of versatility with recent injuries to their back court

The Boston Celtics are in the midst of arguably their worst stretch of injuries on the season. In addition to the loss of Gordon Hayward, their back court has been absolutely decimated. Marcus Smart cut his hand, Kyrie Irving has a minor injury on his leg, and even Shane Larkin has now been shut down until the All Star break.

Yes, that is three of the four point guards on a professional basketball team all sidelined, leaving Terry Rozier as the lone point guard left on the team. Brad Stevens is certainly now going to be able to play Rozier every single minute, so that means the Celtics are spending much of their time without an actual point guard on the court.

And yet, the Celtics still manage to get the facilitating that they need, and are seeing their offense function with some of the more interesting lineups in the NBA. The Celtics have embraced a lot versatility over the years, and with literally no other options to run the offense, Stevens is showing how valuable it is to have bigs and wings that are versatile enough to move around any positions.

Rozier has truly been superb, and has stepped up his responsibilities the most. That being said, Al Horford is a center that has been out there playing the point on a regular basis. Both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, primarily off ball scorers, have been taking over more control and instigating when they need to.

More from Hardwood Houdini

The Celtics do not have their natural point guard options, but Stevens’ positionless approach has ensured that this team is comfortable without that point guard. Even when they are healthy, we still see Horford taking over and running the offense.

When Stevens decides to deploy these kinds of lineups that do not have any traditional role for a guard, the biggest adjustment is whichever big is handling the ball. Horford is having one of the most special seasons we have ever seen from a big because of his ability to be that instigator, but it takes more than just him to make it work.

If you are changing Horford’s responsibilities like that, you need players around him that can adjust. Players need to look to make up things on the defensive end, and it is vitally important to play in a way that is suited to how Horford is running the offense.

With three of their guards all out of the lineup, the Celtics have thrown out some of their most creative lineups, and because of the experience they already have with a big running the offense, everyone is able to stay comfortable, despite being put into one of the stranger roles and positions possible.

When you have a forward that can run the offense like Horford, and you have wings that can move over to the front court in Brown and Tatum, you no longer need to be concerned about the exact position assigned to these players.

You can see any of these guys moving around and adapting what they are doing from one possession to another, because Stevens is able to move them around anyway he wants, trying to find exactly what will work the best.

The best part is this versatility is not just with the starers, so the entire roster can adapt to having three quarters of their point guards out of the lineup. The Celtics have bigs in Semi Ojeleye and Daniel Theis that are able to bring floor spacing no matter what is being asked of them. They have a player in Marcus Morris that has no problem instigating offense, but can also be reliable off the ball.

The second unit may not have that big that will be trusted as a real ball handler, but they have players that are comfortable with a big taking on those responsibilities. On top of that, the Celtics know they can sustain great team ball movement that takes a lot of pressure off that primary ball handler.

The Celtics can go out there without a natural point guard because they have an entire roster filled of players that can be successful as the secondary passers. They do not need to instigate the offense, but they keep the ball moving and contribute to the quality of the looks being generated.

Next: Stevens is a better coach than Rivers

The Celtics have brought their versatility to another level this season, and it could not have been put to a better test than taking out three of their point guards. The Celtics are really exploring how many different options they have with their lineups, and there is a good chance the Celtics would not have embraced their versatility to this extent without these injuries.

Home/Celtics News