Boston Celtics: 3 trends to watch in upcoming weeks

Boston Celtics trend to watch #3: 3-point Defense

The Celtics have employed an all-switching defensive scheme this year, with every player on the court ideally being able to switch onto different opposing players. For this system to work, bigs need to be able to guard smaller players on the perimeter, having to have quick feet to keep up with them, while also not giving them space to take a free jump shot.

This was a problem for the Celtics on Monday night, with the Charlotte Hornets hitting 13-of-23 three-point attempts in the first half. Many of these were a result of Robert Williams giving LaMelo Ball space to shoot his high-arching shot over him. In past seasons, Rob has been able to keep up with quicker players due to his fantastic athleticism and wingspan, being able to recover and block attempts at the rim even when he is blown past.

The Boston Celtics need to try to force the opposition off of the three-point line more, as their defense is seemingly giving up 15 threes a night. The C’s have the ability and athleticism to challenge more shots on the perimeter with their size across the board but seem a step slow on closeouts throughout the majority of games. This usually picks up in the second half, but sometimes the early deficit is too much to overcome.

Boston is near last in opponent three-point percentage (26th) at 38.5%, yet their overall opponent’s FG% isn’t nearly as bad (13th and 44.6%). If the Celtics can sure up their three-point defense, forcing teams to take long two’s instead of threes, they will be in a much better spot as a team.