Boston Celtics with great competition for backup bigs

The Boston Celtics should benefit from great competition among their backups bigs

The Boston Celtics will be going into next season with a collection of guards and wings that are as solid and cemented as any team in the NBA. They have the top talent they will always be able to trust, with arguably the best depth in the NBA.

The front court, however, is a different story. The Celtics have their wings that are versatile enough to spend a lot of time in the front court, but that does nothing to answer all kinds of questions with the second unit.

Everyone knows that Al Horford is as solid as they come, and could be even more important on a starting unit that is expected to have three wings and a point guard, leaving him as the lone natural big.

Behind him, the Celtics really have nothing settled, but they have plenty of options. Right now, you have to think about Daniel Theis, Aron Baynes, Robert Williams, Semi Ojeleye and Marcus Morris. Even if Marcus Smart does not return, and Brad Wanamaker has no role, there will not be enough minutes for all those second unit bigs, and that will create a great competition.

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Right now, Baynes is the most established. He started the majority of last year, and the Celtics believe in him enough to bring him back. He was one of the most trusted defenders last season, and a lot of the younger guys will be looking to him as the standard they need to overcome.

Theis should also feel great about his initial position. He has a phenomenal impact last season, and brings solid rim protection with the kind of versatility that Baynes cannot match. If Theis can also hit his three point shots, then he could easily become the first big coming off the bench.

After those two you have the offensive specialist. The Celtics will need offense less this season, and that could hurt Morris, Even so, he was crucial to the Celtics last season, and can offer a level of scoring that no other big can approach.

If some of these bigs begin to slow down on defense, and struggle on that end at all, then Morris’ offense will be more than enough to take over their role.

Williams is the most intriguing, because he is such a raw rookie. His athleticism gives him more upside than anyone else, but he certainly has the most work to do to get a consistent role, and establish a comfortable level of trust. You have to expect is to be a long process with Williams, but he is the one that Baynes really needs to keep an eye on.

Williams has the potential to bring all the traditional assets that Baynes offers, while having a level of versatility that blows him away. Williams will be able to switch and guard a lot more positions, and that will keep constant pressure on any big ahead of him in the rotation.

Finally we can get to Ojeleye. It feels like he might get lost in some depth, but keep in mind that he was as important as anyone on defense in a playoff series against the Bucks. He established a tremendous amount of trust in that series, and he is a three point threat.

Ojeleye could easily end up being the most well rounded big coming off the bench, and his strength is always going to be deadly.

The best part is that Brad Stevens is going to have all kinds of different options for a lot of different situations with his backup bigs. He will be able to use a lot of different weapons in different situations, and he will not have to depend on anyone that is struggling.

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All of these options will be keeping constant pressure on each other, and that should allow them to bring out the best bench they can offer. If the backup bigs are able to bring the best out of each other, you should expect the best bench in the NBA, and it really might not be close.

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