Boston Celtics: Appreciating Brad Wanamaker’s consistency on New Year’s Day

After a disappointing rookie season, Brad Wanamaker has become a key rotation piece for the Boston Celtics in 2019-20.

It’s incredible to think that Brad Wanamaker is the Boston Celtics’ oldest player listed on the roster. The now 30-year-old guard came to the C’s during the summer of 2018 by way of Turkish EuroLeague team Fenerbahçe.

Before that summer, he bounced around on different teams on Europe, playing in France, Germany, Italy, and Turkey along with a brief G-League stint for the Austin Toros in 2012. Wanamaker even played alongside Daniel Theis on German team Brose Bamberg.

To provide more defensive versatility, Wanamaker, through his size and strength, replaced third-string guard Shane Larkin during the summer of 2018. Last year, the 30-year-old guard was stuck behind backups Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier and only played in 36 regular-season games, seeing only more than ten minutes of action in 11 of those games. During the summer of 2018, he signed a one-year minimum contract with the Boston Celtics to try and crack the rotation once again.

Wanamaker cracked it. His start to this season is a story filled with consistency and hyper-efficient bench production. Despite limited action in October, his play off the bench during the following months gave the Celtics a needed boost on both sides of the floor.

Wannamaker plays team basketball, as he rarely forces shots outside the offense. A lot of his shots come with two or fewer dribbles (58.8%, according to NBA.com).

Although many might view him as a combo-guard, Wannamaker plays more of a traditional point guard spot. According to Cleaningtheglass.com, he spends 71% of his time at the point guard position.

On paper, compared to the typical backup point-guard, Wannamaker’s raw numbers aren’t out of this world. He is by no means a shoot first player. Currently, playing 18.7 minutes per game, he’s averaging 6.8 points, 2.8 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and shooting 43.1% from the field. He’s also shooting 35.7% from beyond the arc despite only attempting less than three-and-half per game.

Wanamaker isn’t creating most of his three-point attempts. According to the Cleaningtheglass.com, most of Wannamaker’s three-pointers are assisted and come from above the break. He shoots a slightly better percentage from this area at 38% from non-corner three-pointers.

What makes Wannamaker unique on offense is his ability to get to the free-throw line and convert on his attempts. He has elite foul drawing capabilities. According to Cleaningtheglass.com, Wanamaker gets fouled on 20% of all shots, which puts him in the 100th percentile among all qualified NBA players.

Not only does Wanamaker knock down his free looks, but he knocks them down at an almost 90% clip. He currently leads the Celtics in free throw percentage and ranks twelfth in the entire league. At the moment, 30% of his points come from the charity stripe, but look for him to increase this number as getting to the free-throw line is a winning formula for him.

Wanamaker is also a force on the defensive side of the floor. With a sturdy frame, Wanamaker is extremely versatile as his 6-8 wingspan comes in handy for switching onto taller true NBA wings.

Even though it’s tough to distill defensive productivity into one metric, when Wannamaker is on the floor the Celtics play an elite level of defense. Lineups that feature Wannamaker rank in the 96th percentile for limiting opponents effective field goal percentage, 96th percentile for points allowed per 100 possessions, and in the 90th percentile for the percentage of opponent possessions ending in a turnover.

Of guards who both come off the bench and who’ve played over ten games and ten minutes, Wanamaker ranks 7th in defensive rating and 10th in defensive win shares. He is playing above what his contract suggests on the defensive side of the floor.

Despite his steadiness on both ends of the floor, Wanamaker could still improve his shot selection. He shoots a bit too many from the midrange as 27% of his shots come from the short midrange area inside of 14 feet, but outside of what Cleaningtheglass.com considers a layup. It’s tough to criticize a player for their unselfishness, but the Boston Celtics could benefit from Wanamaker shooting more three-pointers, granted these shots come within the flow of the offense. The 2-year-vet has yet to attempt more than five three-pointers during a game this season.

Despite the early season success, the Celtics have only played nine games (the first nine) with Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart both healthy and active. Even though Hayward and Smart will take away playing time from the young bench unit, Wanamaker still should have a 20 minute per game slot cemented within the rotation. In Saturday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, Wanamaker played around 14 minutes, five minutes below his season average.

The team is still shaping their bench unit, gauging the production they can get from many so-far capable prospects. While Boston’s youth has impressed as of late, the team may still be in the mix for adding some bench scoring to compliment Wanamaker on the perimeter.

Brad Wanamaker has earned his spot within this Boston Celtics rotation. Even though it is early in the season, if he continues his consistent play, Beantown should consider inking the 30-year-old sophomore guard to a longer deal as he has brought more to the table than expected, especially from an efficiency standpoint.

Wanamaker is only in his second season in the league, but already he exudes veteran-like tendencies on the floor.