The 2021-22 season is one of mystery and absolute wonder for the Boston Celtics and their fanbase.
Following up three Eastern Conference Finals trips in a span of four years with a 36-36 record and a Quarterfinals exit last season, the front office — now led by rookie President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens — took part in some rather sizeable shakeups this offseason, ones in which they believe could set them up for a more successful campaign than the one they just endured.
What some once viewed as weaknesses within the rotation now seem to be strengths, as Boston went about and bolstered many areas within the rotation with their numerous transactions this summer.
One specific region Stevens and co. addressed head-on over the last several months is the team’s bench unit. These past few seasons have seen some rather underwhelming performances from the C’s second unit squads, particularly when it came to their offensive production.
Now, with several savvy moves made, the bench appears to have been improved quite considerably and, in turn, looks to have the potential to be one of their strengths, and we at the Houdini are under the impression that these 3 players could play major roles in the bench’s attempt to rise from the ashes:
Boston Celtics player No. 1) Robert Williams III
Though many may be under the impression that Robert Williams III will seriously be considered for the starting center position for the Boston Celtics come opening day, we at the Houdini are more under the belief that the role will go to veteran big, Al Horford, at least to start the year.
Because of this, Time Lord makes the cut as one of the more impactful reserve talents on this team, and the bench unit will certainly benefit from his presence.
Having somewhat of a breakout campaign already last year, the center went on to post career bests seemingly all across the board — per 75 possessions the big man posted averages of 15.5 points, 13.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.4 blocks on an impressive 72 percent shooting from the floor while boasting a team-best box plus-minus of 6.1.
Now, after signing his lucrative 4-year, $54 million contract extension this summer, many expect Williams’ role to increase considerably and, based on his track record when receiving more run, we anticipate that he’ll deliver admirably.
Frankly, it’s only a matter of time until he takes over the starting pivot position (assuming he can stay healthy, of course) on a full-time basis but, until then, he’s undoubtedly viewed as one of this team’s top bench players.
Boston Celtics player No. 2) Dennis Schroder
A major problem for the Boston Celtics bench squad over the past several years has been their lackluster offense. Just last season, in fact, the C’s second unit scoring punch proved to be unequivocally abysmal as they finished the year off ranking 28thin the league in points per game and 23rd in offensive rating.
This offseason, however, it appears that the new-look front office took matters into their own hands and prioritized adding scoring options for the unit, and perhaps the biggest grab of them all was Dennis Schroder.
Now yes, the veteran guard’s value dropped significantly due to his underwhelming performance last season whilst serving as the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers — averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per on 44 percent shooting from the floor and nearly 34 percent shooting from deep.
That said, it must still be noted that, at $5.4 million, the German-born baller is an absolute steal of an acquisition.
Over the course of the last five years, Schroder is one of only 16 players in the league to log 6,000 points and 1,500 assists.
Almost certainly reverting back to a bench position, the guard will likely take charge of a sixth man role within the rotation and, if his 2019-20 season is any indicator — 18.9 points, four assists, and 3.6 boards on 47 percent shooting from the floor and 38 percent shooting from deep — he could end up thriving as the spark-plug off the pine.
Boston Celtics player No. 3) Aaron Nesmith
Last, but certainly not least we have Aaron Nesmith who, after having a rather up-and-down rookie campaign, comes into 2021-22 looking to prove he was worthy of the C’s lone lottery selection from last offseason.
Despite a rather inconsistent 2020-21 season, towards the end the wing did show glimpses of him developing into a quality role player at the next level.
During the final nine games of the year, Nesmith posted averages of 9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on 53.6 percent shooting from the floor and 45 percent shooting from deep while dropping 15 or more points on four separate occasions during this span.
Now, while it was a rather small sample size, it was enough to have us at the site believing that a big leap could be on the horizon for the 21-year-old and, with his stellar Summer League showing this offseason — 17.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game on 50 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from deep while also seeing 33-point outing along the way — the expectations keep on climbing.
Heading into year two, we expect a much more confident and efficient Aaron Nesmith will take the court for the Boston Celtics which, in turn, could wind up translating into these types of numbers.