Assessing the Boston Celtics’ big-man rotation and back up point guard role
By Isaac Moore
After the Boston Celtics’ first preseason game, there are some interesting subplots that have gained some momentum. Today, we deep-dive into them.
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It’s never wise to draw conclusions from preseason games, especially the first one. With Brad Stevens mixing and matching lineups every couple of minutes throughout most of the game (and for every likely preseason contest moving forward), it’s difficult to gauge if anything Stevens throws at the wall will stick rotation-wise.
There were some interesting subplots worth dissecting…and today I’m taking scalpels to what we have seen so far.
The center rotation might be a complete train wreck
The Boston Celtics center rotation didn’t look particularly encouraging after the preseason’s opening salvo.
Daniel Theis was out with a minor injury, and Enes Kanter’s defense was…just as previously advertised. It’s no coincidence that it felt like the Charlotte Hornets went on a big run every time he entered the game; they did.
Need I say more?
The more intriguing story is that the potential big man x-factor, Robert Williams, didn’t look that impressive either.
Leading up to the preseason, many had assumed Stevens would keep it simple and give Kanter the starting nod; this was reinforced by Kanter being spotted in the green jersey designating the starters usually wear during training camp.
But, to everyone’s surprise, Williams was given the starting nod. Though he only notched ten minutes, it’s worth noting Stevens proactively looking for solutions early rather than reacting later. It’s been well documented that Boston’s defense will surely take a hit after Al Horford’s departure, and seemingly no one on the roster is able to fill his shoes.
With his combination of elite athleticism, youth, and eagerness to make an impact of the defensive end, some thought Williams may be able to shock the world in his second season.
After the first preseason game at least, he did not look the part.
Williams was plagued by the some of the same issues as his rookie year; bad communication, poor awareness, and too eager to block shots.
After an impressive summer league showing where Williams vowed he would be a better communicator after not speaking up his rookie season, Williams failed on multiple occasions.
Here, Williams has the option of calling for a switch with Hayward’s man. Williams decides to switch, but doesn’t let Hayward know of his intentions.
As a result, two players end up on the ball and Cody Zeller is wide open under the basket. Basic communication like this is something Horford did right almost every time down the floor.
On top of little mistakes riddled all throughout Williams’ minutes, he didn’t impose his will as a rim protector as one would imagine looking at his profile and play style.
Vincent Poirier was the most impressive of the three bigs to get minutes, even if it was only five. As the team’s only official seven footer, he could find himself quickly rewarded minutes if he can protect the basket consistently.
The fight for backup point guard
One of the more underrated stories heading into the regular season is who will establish themselves in the rotation first: Brad Wanamaker or Carsen Edwards?
I originally was in the school of thought that Wanamaker would get the role due to more experience. He has a year under his belt in Stevens’ system, and he’s more of a “traditional” floor general. He was even the first of the two to get in the game, but Edwards ended up with more minutes overall.
Offensively, Edwards plays more like a two than a one. He displayed very impressive shot making, swishing in two triples on his first couple of touches while finishing with 15 points — much to the pleasure of Tom Heinsohn.
Edwards never really had an opportunity to operate as the de facto point guard, as he was almost always out there with another ball handler ranging from Wanamaker, Marcus Smart, or Tremont Waters.
That could be evidence that he’s best utilized as an offensive weapon off-ball then operating the show with the ball in his hands.
As far as having the savvy and know how of running the offense, Wanamaker will win that battle over Edwards ten out of ten times. However, the way Boston’s roster is constructed might mitigate that advantage.
Next. 4 takeaways from preseason opener against the Hornets. dark
With so many capable playmakers on the wing (Smart, Hayward, Tatum, and Brown), Boston’s need for scoring off the bench could put Edwards shot making at a premium over the traditional skill set of Wanamaker.
After the first preseason game (sample size!) I would lean towards the rookie garnering backup minutes over Wanamaker.