The bench is the engine that keeps the Boston Celtics running
By Sam LaFrance
The 2022-23 NBA Season has kicked off with a bang, multiple even, for the Boston Celtics. So far, they have racked up 17 wins, nine of which were consecutive. The C’s have the best record in the Association at 17-4 through the first quarter of the season. The strong start is a testament to the terrific personnel within the team, top to bottom.
Head Coach Joe Mazzulla was thrust into the role less than a month before the season tipped off, after then Head Coach Ime Udoka was suspended. Under the Rhode Island native’s leadership the team has flourished, especially on the offensive end. Boston has the league’s best offense with a rating of 120.9. The high-powered offense was on full display Monday, when the Celtics hung 140 on the Charlotte Hornets in a blowout victory.
Star forward Jayson Tatum is piecing together what could be an MVP season. The 24-year-old is averaging just under 31 points, eight rebounds, and four assists so far in the new campaign. He’s made significant improvements to finishing around the rim and getting himself to the free throw line. This season he ranks sixth in the league in free throw attempts at 8.5 per game.
The bench is the engine that keeps the Boston Celtics running
Despite Joe Mazzulla’s and Jayson Tatum’s early success, what may be the most lucrative surprise of the season is Boston’s bench. The Celtics have gotten great production from their substitutes so far. Players like Malcolm Brogdon, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, and even Payton Pritchard have given the Boston Celtics a boost when they’ve come into the game. Compared to what the C’s have gotten in bench production in previous years, it feels like they’ve got the Avengers coming into the game when these guys sub in.
However, when I took a look at bench numbers across the league I was surprised to see that Boston’s 33.9 bench points per game was only good enough for 13th best in the NBA. Upon diving further, I found that the C’s still have one of the best benches in the league. The efficiency those guys are playing with in limited minutes is fantastic. They’re second in the league in bench field goal percentage at 49%, trailing only the Portland Trailblazers. Boston by far has the best three-point shooting bench, as the reserves drain 44% of their attempts from beyond the arc. That percentage is a whopping six points better than the next best team, the Chicago Bulls.
The efficiency that the Boston Celtics are able to pull from their bench is extremely helpful for a few reasons. Obviously, it’s always good to be reliable when shooting the basketball. On top of that, the numbers make it easy for the starters to trust these guys when they’re sharing the floor. For someone like Tatum, it’s huge to be able to kick to a Brogdon or a Hauser when he’s seeing multiple bodies driving to the cup.
Lastly, the efficiency allows Mazzulla to rest his stars and not see a drop off. Both Tatum and Jaylen Brown have missed one of the last two games, and the Celtics haven’t missed a beat. They dominated both the Hornets and Washington Wizards on back to back nights.