Boston Celtics: 3 Keys to Beat the Oklahoma City Thunder and Get Back on Track

Who Will Step up in Baynes’ Absence?

Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, rebounding is always is important, but it will be even moreso as the Celtics are still without center Aron Baynes, who injured his hamstring in last week’s win over the Knicks.

As of Thursday morning, Oklahoma City ranked 26th in defensive rebounding percentage–but first in offensive rebounding percentage. On the other hand, the Boston Celtics rank 6th in defensive rebounding percentage (76.3), but Baynes has been a huge part of the Celtics rebounding success since he landed in Boston.

According to Cleaning the Glass, opponents had 4.5 percent fewer offensive rebounds against Boston when Baynes was on the floor vs. when he was on the bench, which ranked him in the 95th percentile of all bigs. With Baynes on the floor, Boston rebounded like a top five team; with him on the bench, they were well below average.

Thunder center Steven Adams has consistently been on of the league’s best offensive rebounders over the last few seasons, and is currently leading the league with six offensive rebounds per game. For Boston to win, not only will Al Horford have to prioritize boxing out Adams and keeping him out of the paint, but the rest of the team will have to double back for rebounds instead of leaking out for fast break chances.

In addition, Boston will need one of their other reserve big men to step up and fill in at the center position. Daniel Theis is still working his way back into peak form after tearing his meniscus last season, but played his best basketball of the year in the most recent loss to the Orlando Magic.

Robert Williams III saw his first action of the season against the Magic with Baynes out, and may see more time Thursday night as well. The 21-year-old rookie only played three minutes, but he showed why Boston may need him Thursday, forcing Magic center Nikola Vucevic into a tough hook shot on one possession and altering an Orlando shot on another.

The Athletic’s Jay King had a nice feature (subscription required) on how Williams III has been working on honing his shot with Celtics assistant Alex Barlow, getting ready for game action.

Hopefully, Williams III will have the opportunity to show some off the work he’s been putting in behind the scenes against Oklahoma City. The Celtics could use his length and shot-blocking ability against a highly-athletic Thunder squad, especially if Theis’ doesn’t have the legs yet for big minutes.

Boston’s offense is often best when Horford mans the center position, but against the tough physicality of the Oklahoma City, Stevens may opt for more size up front. Second-year forward Guerschon Yabusele may also see time in the Boston frontcourt, while Marcus Morris‘ minutes wil probably go up as well.