It’s been a minute since the Boston Celtics had a complete frontcourt. Danny Ainge had done an abysmal job at rebounding from losing Al Horford and Aron Baynes for the past two seasons, replacing them with defensive liabilities and undersized bigs. And, as much as I love Daniel Theis, in a conference with Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo, he cannot be this team’s high-minute big.
To make matters worse, Ainge followed up the bubble performance–in which Theis got torched by Adebayo–by signing Tristan Thompson to the entire MLE. Thompson is better than Theis, and the C’s needed his size, but he was still a paint-clogger and could not switch to save his life. Yet somehow, he netted $19 million from the Boston Celtics in free agency. This signing limited Boston’s offense, defense, and financial flexibility
Luckily, the drought at the center in Boston is finally over. With Robert Williams improving like many knew he would and Brad Stevens bringing in Al Horford, the Boston Celtics finally have a well-balanced, versatile, and complimentary big rotation. Not only will their defense be better, but their passing and spacing will improve exponentially as well. This development is just as crucial to the Celtics’ hopes for banner #18 as Jayson Tatum’s leap into superstardom.
Let’s dive into what you can expect from Big Al and Robert Williams this upcoming season and how Udoka can deploy both to maximize the Celtics rotations.
The Boston Celtics can switch freely now
The idea of switching is not new to the Celtics. Brad Stevens has been deploying it for most of his tenure with the Cs, and Ime Udoka utilized it a lot with the Brooklyn Nets last season. Boston has always been comfortable leaving their bigs out of the perimeter with wings and guards to avoid potential confusion or open drives.
Boston was able to get away with this for a very long time because they had Al Horford on the roster, who was exceptionally light on his feet and had good perimeter instincts. Once he left, the Celtics had to rely on Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter, and Tristan Thompson to perform these switching maneuvers. They couldn’t handle it, and it was evident that their shortcomings on the perimeter would hold the Celtics back defensively in the playoffs.
Luckily, Brad Stevens has already eliminated Boston’s switching dilemma just a few weeks into his tenure as President of Basketball Operations by acquiring Al Horford. The old Celtics reliable is not what he was when he left, but he is still one of the better defensive bigs in the NBA and showcased his abilities with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With Horford and Williams at the five, Udoka can deploy his switch-heavy defensive scheme without having to worry about Boston’s bigs. That leaves one less way to exploit Boston’s defense in the playoffs, which will give them a leg up when they have to face stacked perimeter teams like the Nets.
The Boston Celtics will have better spacing
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown love three play types: Isolation, transition, and pick and roll. They can thrive in the first two by themselves, but they need a competent rolling or popping big for the third play type. Without it, teams can focus more on their drives and leave the roaming center open, knowing they are not an immediate threat.
That changes with Robert Williams, and it’s why Boston was so dynamic with him on the court and so flat with him off the court. Williams provides what is known as vertical spacing, which is not the same as perimeter spacing, but it is similar. Perimeter spacing relies upon shooting and cutting to open up driving lanes or open three-pointers. Vertical spacing creates space right around the rim, creating open layups and easy dump-offs for cutters.
Having a rim runner that can demand the kind of attention Williams does is critical to any pick-and-roll dominant offense. His rim gravity can not only generate a ton of dunks for himself but also create even more open layups for his teammates without him even having to touch the ball. All Williams has to do to positively impact his teams’ offense is to move towards the rim.
Robert Williams’ impact should not be news; it was as clear as day during the season, but Horford’s impact will be slightly different. He will run more pick and pops than he will pick and rolls. Boston will rely on Horford to staple their perimeter spacing while Williams provides the vertical spacing. Horford is still capable of this, shooting 37% on 5.4 triples per game last season.
With Horford and Williams next to Tatum and Brown, Boston’s half-court offense will be so much more dynamic than it was last season with Thompson and Theis. They will have more flexibility, more spacing, and more ways to score than just isolating one of their star players. Expect more scoring by committee with the Celtics’ new big man rotation.
The Boston Celtics will share the ball more
Last season, the Boston Celtics were an isolation-heavy team. They did not move the ball well, they did not see or make high-level reads, and they did not generate good shots. They relied on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s shot creation abilities like a crutch, and it led to one of the worst offenses we have seen from the Celtics in recent memory.
Then came along Robert Williams after the trade deadline. Once Daniel Theis was dealt, and the Cs promoted Williams to starter status, the offense looked completely different. The ball was popping from side to side, the Celtics were cutting, they were pressuring the rim more, and they were getting more open shots. Boston looked like a completely different ball club with just one minor change to their rotation.
Williams’ impact on the Celtics serves as an excellent example for those who do not understand the impact bigs can have on a team’s offensive efficiency…especially passing bigs. Now that the Celtics have brought in another passing big man in Al Horford, that impact will be even more apparent.
With Horford, Boston will not lose any passing value when Williams steps off the floor. They won’t have to change how they play on offense to compensate for the loss of Williams. Horford can move the ball from side to side, perform simple kick-outs and even make high-level reads out of the post and in pick and roll. Horford’s passing abilities aren’t new, but it is crucial to understand they have not fallen off since Boston last had him.