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Boston Celtics: What Can We Expect from Greg Monroe?

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 09: Greg Monroe #55 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the game against the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden on February 9, 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 09: Greg Monroe #55 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the game against the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden on February 9, 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) /
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What can the Boston Celtics expect from Greg Monroe this season?

The Boston Celtics did not make any moves at the trade deadline, making it clear that they are still not interested in pure win now moves. That being said, the Celtics still managed to fill their open roster spot with Greg Monroe, but nobody really knows what to expect from him yet.

Monroe will certainly be coming off the bench, and he is joining one of the most chaotic front court rotations in the NBA. The second unit is completely all over the place, and that second starter next to Al Horford continues to change.

As it stands right now, Monroe could disappear behind young bigs that are more versatile than him, or he could jump ahead of multiple options that are not ready to have a consistent impact. Right now, the Celtics probably have too many options to give all of them a role, but Monroe fills a much more particular need than most.

One thing the Celtics lack this year is traditional size. Aron Baynes is the only consistently strong paint presence they have right now, and Monroe can help in that area. The biggest obstacle is that the Celtics do not want to use as much traditional size, they want to embrace their versatility, but they still cannot sustain that right now.

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Monroe is an established rebounder, and that is one way teams have exposed the Celtics this year. They are a much improved rebounding team this year, but Monroe could make a huge difference in making sure things do not break down with the second unit.

Teams are often able to break down Boston’s small ball options, because they still cannot trust their young versatile players. With Monroe, the Celtics get another option they can use when their young bigs are not keeping things together.

With the situation the Celtics find themselves in, Monroe’s role could be all over the place, and a lot of it may be outside of his control. The Celtics want to use their versatile bigs who can shoot, but we still do not know how much they can be trusted.

How much the Celtics need to use Monroe will be directly related to how much they can trust Semi Ojeleye. Right now, the Celtics can be confident in what they can get from Daniel Theis. He is a reliable defender and rebounder that can hit open threes. The problem is that he does not have enough strength to anchor the paint right now.

Ojeleye is the one that brings the great strength for the Celtics. If he is able to anchor the paint with his strength, and hit some open threes, then there may not be that much use for Monroe.

Monroe can be an offensive weapon in the paint too, but they have Marcus Morris for that on the second unit. The Celtics do not need another big that looks to attack every time he touches the ball, and Morris will always be a better offensive option.

Monroe can bring more reliability and consistency than any other second unit front court option. The Celtics have been hurt on multiple occasions because of their lack of traditional size, so you know that Monroe is going to be needed for certain matchups.

Unfortunately, that limited and situational role is probably all you can really expect from Monroe right now, because you know Stevens will still try to unlock the most potential with the young versatile bigs that can give them the offensive options that they need.

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If, however, Ojeleye is not able to prove he can be a trusted shooter and defender, then Monroe will gradually take more and more of his opportunities. Stevens still has a lot of time to experiment with his young players, but Monroe is an option that they will be able to trust a lot more come playoff time, even if he limits their overall potential because of how much they want their bigs to shoot threes.

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