Boston Celtics Round Table: Can Marcus Smart Make All-Defense? (mailbag)

As the Boston Celtics took three days off following a three-game road trip, we took some time to review the season, one-quarter of the way in.

The Boston are currently 11-10, sitting in sixth place in the East. Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris have recently entered the starting lineup, while Gordon Hayward has moved to a sixth man role.

Jaylen Brown is struggling mightily, shooting 25 percent from deep as he misses Friday’s game with a back injury. Hayward’s had issues since returning from injury, as well.

The Celtics defense still ranks second in the NBA, but the offense is nowhere to be found. In this state of Celtics, we asked our dear readers to write in with questions for Boston moving forward.

I brought in my brothers Chris and Petey, high school basketball coaches, to help answer your questions in a Boston Celtics round table format. We’ll each give our answers to each questions, noted by our first names.

Without further ado, let’s jump into the mailbag.

Thomas: Given the way Gordon Hayward was playing, it was only a matter of time before coach Brad Stevens began bringing him off the bench. Stevens could only give Hayward so much leeway in his recovery before realizing Hayward wasn’t going to play the rust off so quickly or easily.

Since Hayward’s scoring and shooting have been awful, it also makes sense to have him quarterback the second unit, where his playmaking skills, which haven’t disappeared like his jumper, yield their greatest return. Until Hayward starts shooting better, I think he’ll remain with the second unit, but ultimately, I think he will rejoin the starting lineup as plays better.

Christopher: I actually like the move of bringing Gordon off the bench. From what I see, the main reason Gordon has struggled so far this year is confidence. He seems almost scared  to barge into the paint and attack the rim with abandon like he used to in Utah, perhaps fearing that he will re-injure his leg. He seems hesitant to be aggressive on offense, continuously passing up shots to defer to his teammates. I think that being the focal point off the bench unit will help him regain the confidence that has abandoned him. He will have the ball in his hand more often and will be looked to to provide scoring off the bench. These extra reps will go a long way in Hayward becoming the man he was before the injury.

Petey: I think Gordon Hayward coming off the bench is a good move. Hayward has struggled to find his own footing in the offense when playing with the starting five. He seems hesitant and unaware of exactly where and how he fits in.

Playing Hayward more minutes with the bench unit will allow him to be more aggressive looking for his own shot. It will allow him to handle the ball more, which is a spot which he can utilize his playmaking skills to create offense. Handling the ball more and looking for his his shots more may help expedite the process of development and confidence building that is clearly still under way with Hayward.

Additionally, Hayward provides a skill that the bench unit needs. The bench units needs someone who can distribute the ball and create for others, which is an area in which Hayward excels.