Boston Celtics: 2 players that should cede minutes to Aaron Nesmith
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics minute cuts candidate No. 1) Maarcus Smart/ Dennis Schroder
Ok, so this may be a bit of a cheat answer considering we have two players listed in a section that should only have one, but really it’s an either/ or situation with the likes of Marcus Smart and Dennis Schroder seeing a minutes reduction — it should be contingent on the opponent and what the team needs.
A guy like Aaron Nesmith can seemingly mesh with either one of these aforementioned talents, for he is a sound off-ball presence who can shoot the lights out when given ample opportunities and can hold his own on the defensive end.
During the early parts of this campaign, both Smart and Schroder are seeing north of 30 minutes per game with the former logging 35.2 the latter receiving 32.
Don’t get us wrong, both have proven to be solid contributors during the C’s recent surge so in no way is us suggesting they should see a slight minutes reduction insinuating they should be “punished” with losing playing time.
However, we have seen on numerous occasions that Smart and Schroder’s games don’t really mesh well with one another — the fact that they are both the starting guards for this team is truly more due to necessity rather than fit.
Because of this, depending on the need of the team per game, we feel it may be wise to look into decreasing playing time for one or the other. If the Celtics need more scoring, take out Smart, plug in Nesmith, and run Schroder at the one; if they need more defense while not sacrificing their offensive potential, perhaps swap Nesmith for Schroder at the two.
We’re not suggesting significant slashes to their MPG averages, but seeing a few of their minutes being reallocated to Nesmith could go a long way to make his time on the court more worthwhile.