There have been many glaring issues within the rotation for the Boston Celtics during this underwhelming 2021-22 campaign. None, however, have been more jarring than Ime Udoka’s fixation on the double-big lineup.
Of course, I am making reference to the disaster of a duo that has been Al Horford and Robert Williams at the four and five, respectively.
Considering how this is a pace and space league and this duo prohibits our ability to do either well enough to compete and complement the jays, today we present to you 3 reasons why the C’s must look to ditch the dual big lineup:
Reason No. 1) Strengthening the bench
On paper, everyone and their mother thought the Boston Celtics would be a much deeper team this year, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, the reality could not be any more disappointing as the shamrocks find themselves ranked 28th in the league in second-unit scoring.
Coach Udoka’s decision to play double big lineups and two point guard lineups have not helped, as it leaves the Boston Celtics void of much of a bench with the exception of, say Josh Richardson.
Right now, it seems Udoka criminally underutilizes his bench, as most nights he rarely goes 10 men deep.
Moving Al Horford to the bench and promoting Grant Williams to the starting lineup could do the trick.
The veteran big would bring a steady calmness of leadership to the second unit as well as another double-digit scorer and even a primary play-maker, all things this bench desperately lacks.
Grant Williams went from a laughing stock on the roster to having one of the highest stocks for the C’s, as the third-year pro has seen a meteoric rise in his shooting percentages, hovering very close to that elusive 50/40/90 threshold with splits of 48 percent shooting from the field, 42 percent shooting from deep, and 88 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Robert Williams needs to play inside with a big who can space the floor — this is where Grant enters the equation as he’s been our most effective and efficient shooter this season.
Also, with a 6-8 frame, he can guard against ones all the way to fours and has tremendous defensive versatility. We can also play faster with Grant and, with athletes the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Robert Williams, this team is meant to play fast.
As things currently stand, the Boston Celtics rank 23rd in pace. This small tweak in the starting five can elevate both space and pace for the C’s and deepen our bench.
Reason No. 2) Space tighter than an airplane bathroom
Ideally, this pairing could have worked much better if Al Horford’s shooting was not colder than a New England winter. The big man is shooting a measly 29 percent from distance, which is his lowest mark from deep since his early days back with the Atlanta Hawks.
Robert Williams has yet to develop much of his game outside of the paint. Adversely, his game inside the paint has him shooting a blistering 74 percent from the field, a mark that, if it holds, would be the highest in NBA history, surpassing Mitchell Robinson‘s current record of 74.2 percent.
You cannot have two centers playing heavy minutes together in a league going smaller. It clogs the paint and limits the space your stars have to operate with as a result.
Horford and Williams are the equivalents of a peanut butter-mayo sandwich — they may work well separately, but together these condiments do not complement.
The olden days of the Celtics having tremendous success with the double big lineups such as Kevin McHale and Robert Parish or even more recently with Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins are long gone.
The league has changed to playing smaller lineups where you operate with more space and greater pace. It is either adapting or dying. Grant Williams gives Boston the prototypical stretch four.
Now, when the opponent doubles either of the Jays they can kick it out to a lethal 3-point sniper in Grant which, in turn, would force opposing defenses to pick their poison instead of the predictable “it’s my turn, your turn” isolation ball.
The Boston Celtics need to force teams to keep guessing.
Reason No. 3) Robert Williams is our center of the future
The final point is that Robert Williams is our five with the most upside. Williams is only 24-years-old and has yet to enter his prime.
The best play is really yet to come.
Timelord is a tremendous rim runner offensively and is an outstanding lob threat in pick and roll situations. He has even shown a tendency to guard well out on the perimeter, which is a very admiring trait welcomed on the Boston Celtics going forward.
Defensively, Williams is averaging around two blocks per game and just near 10 boards. These baseline stats do not do justice to his defensive versatility, for Rob does not just block shots but, also, he often saves them to his teammates.
His presence in the paint deters the opposition from attacking the basket.
On the other hand, Al Horford is 35-years-old and is well past his prime. Father time remains undefeated.
Horford has always been an utmost professional and I truly believe he would make no issue about playing in a smaller role.
It could be something similar to what LaMarcus Aldridge is doing for the Brooklyn Nets — a steady 10-15 points per game off the pine.
There always comes a time when once stars need to settle for a smaller role for the betterment of the team.
To summarize, my point is that the double-big lineup gives the Jays less space to operate, and the insertion of Grant Williams to the starting lineup, coupled with the demotion of Al Horford to the bench would better maximize both units.
As for Robert Williams, he’s staying put — he’s the center of the future for the Boston Celtics.