The Boston Celtics will be able to play with a much faster pace this season
The Boston Celtics are going to look like a completely different team this coming season. They have Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving joining young players who could also be transformed next season.
The Celtics are going to be trying different things on both ends, with many different kind of options. One big difference we could end up seeing from last season is pace. The Celtics were actually one of the slower teams last season, but that approach could limit their offense this season.
Last year, the Celtics really needed to take their time and be meticulous in generating their opportunities. They were one of the strongest three point shooting teams in the league because of how patient they were, generating quality looks late in the shot clock.
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Next season, the Celtics will have more options. They have more players that will want to attack fast, and increasing that pace is the easiest way to push this offense to the next level. Last season the Celtics were the seventh slowest team in the league, and that could change drastically this season.
Transition alone should have an impact on the pace of the Celtics next season. They should be running wild off turnovers, and generating a lot of quick baskets in transition.
On top of that, however, the Celtics know they can overwhelm teams with their versatility, and defenses will wear down quicker if they are absolutely bombarded by offense every moment they are on that end of the court.
The Celtics will have enough favorable matchups that they should not have to wait to long for a defense to break down. They will never be forcing things, but the Celtics want to make sure they pounce on every single opportunity.
As long as the top scorers are not hesitant in every way, and are intelligent in knowing what is a good opportunity to attack, they will be able to abuse teams early in the shot clock, and make it impossible for any opponent to really hold up physically.
The Celtics will be able to attack in many different ways next season. Their long half court offense will be pristine, and will result in a lot of wide open looks. The potential of the offense does not stop there, and the more the Celtics are able to push the pace, the quicker they will blow teams off the court.
The Celtics will be in a position to truly dominant teams, and they will be able to end things quickly if they can bring up their pace while preserving their efficiency.
Keep in mind, the Celtics could be the most efficient team in the NBA. Finding the balance of maintaining that while scoring quick is how you unlock the top potential of this offense. The Celtics will always want to maintain that efficiency, but the faster they can play while doing that the better off they will be.