Aron Baynes is the Boston Celtics’ floor spacer

During the playoffs, Aron Baynes showcased his ability to connect on 3-pointers. Will his role with the Boston Celtics change with this newfound skill?

Boston Celtics center Aron Baynes is a bruiser. A traditional center, a center who isn’t afraid of initiating contact but also can hit the occasional jump shot. During the playoffs, he showcased his ability to step out and consistently hit 3-pointers.

Over the course of five seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons, Baynes only attempted seven, yes, seven 3-pointers. He converted on just one. During his time with team Australia in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games, he attempted zero 3-pointers over the course of 14 games.

With his two previous teams, the 260-pound Aussie came off the bench as a defender and rebounder. He was known solely as a space filler and screen setter rather than a capable shooter who could stretch the floor from the corner.

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Baynes, a player who might be the Celtics eighth or ninth offensive option, became an instant 3-point threat against the 76ers during their five-game playoff series.

Opposing center Joel Embiid was forced to guard Baynes outside of the paint. Even luring Embiid out of the paint provided value to the Celtics by opening up driving lanes to the basket. During this series, he shot an impressive 43.75 percent from the 3-point range, going 7-for-16, with most of his makes coming from the corners.

Is the five-game series too small of a sample size?

Yes.

But is it worthy enough to allow him to shoot one or two 3-pointers a game?

Perhaps.

However, it was not all positive when it came to Baynes shooting the deep ball. From beyond the arc he struggled during the regular season, only converting on 14.3 percent of his attempts.

With that in mind, Brad Stevens noticed Baynes’s ability to knock down the long ball. Stevens gave him the offensive freedom to attempt 21 3-pointers during the regular season and 23 during the playoffs.

In the regular season, it seemed like a failed experiment, however, during the playoffs, it looked as if this failed experiment potentially paid off, thus netting the Celtics an extra floor spacer who can lure rim protectors like Embiid away from the basket.

The trend of big men shooting 3-pointers is certainly relevant. In order to survive as a center in today’s NBA, one must either be a rim runner like Clint Capela, or a capable 3-point shooter. Big men who can do neither are phasing out of the league.

Marc Gasol is an example of another center who went from shooting less than one 3-pointer every 15 games to, in the next season, more than three per game. Gasol, who shot over 34 percent from 3-point range in his past two seasons, is now regarded as a 3-point threat in pick & pop situations.

Baynes is inked on a relatively cheap two-year, $11 million deal. Given his untapped 3-point shooting ability, this deal could prove to pay dividends. Even though he started 67 regular season games last season, he will likely come off the bench.

With Marcus Smart as part of the Celtics long-term picture, the Celtics need all the perimeter shooting they can get from their bench unit. Celtics fans have their fingers crossed, hoping that Baynes can retain his 3-point consistency from the playoffs. If so, this gives the Celtics an extra and much needed offensive edge. It will be exciting to see if they utilize him as a 3-point shooter, a shooter who can minimize the impact of opposing rim protectors.