The key Boston Celtics area of improvement that could lead to playoff glory

With only two weeks left of the 2022-23 NBA regular season, the Boston Celtics are gearing up for another highly anticipated postseason. As they begin their quest for an 18th championship, the Celtics will need contributions from their rotational pieces across the board.

Fortunately for Boston, their season-long success is heavily rooted within the deepest guard rotation on the planet. While Jaylen Brown leads the way as one of the best swingmen in the NBA, the overall improvements of Derrick White and Marcus Smart have also served as key catalysts for the Celtics.

White has arguably taken the biggest leap of anyone on the roster, impacting the game at a high level with his much-improved shooting and defensive prowess. The former Spur leads the Celtics in on/off differential this season with a phenomenal +10.4 mark, per Cleaning the Glass.

White has also built a legitimate All-Defensive case with his brilliance on that end of the floor, and he owns the highest plus-minus on the Celtics this season at +457, good for fourth-best in the league.

In Boston’s most recent win against the Spurs, White recorded an absurd +41 mark. Incredibly enough, White now holds the highest average plus-minus in franchise history at +6.21.

The talented combo guard has also increased his field goal and 3-point conversion rate from last season by a significant margin.

Over the offseason, White worked hard to revamp an unreliable jump shot that had stuck out like a sore thumb during Boston’s finals run. He most notably eliminated a small hitch in his shot over the summer, completely transforming his jumper.

After spending five years in San Antonio as a 34.4% 3-point shooter, White has nailed his threes at an impressive 38.2% clip this year, jumping a whole seven percentage points from last season’s porous 31.2% clip.

White’s vastly improved shooting stroke has granted him a whole new level of confidence on the court. In turn, his inside-outside game has never been better, making him a tough assignment for opposing defenders every night.

Some would argue White has emerged as Boston’s third-best player heading into the playoffs. Either way, there is no denying the importance of White to Boston’s championship aspirations.

Meanwhile, Smart has embraced his role as a playmaker this season, creating better looks for Jayson Tatum and Brown on a nightly basis. Despite dealing with injuries, Smart has stepped outside his comfort zone and established himself as a true point guard for the Boston Celtics.

Averaging a career-best 6.4 dimes per contest, Smart makes life easiest for the Celtics when he makes life easiest for his teammates.

This season, Boston holds a 14-5 record when Smart records eight-plus assists, an 11-1 record when Smart records nine-plus assists, and a flawless 8-0 mark when the point guard drops 10-plus dimes.

The reigning DPOY is also averaging under 10 field goal attempts per game for the first time since the 2018-19 season, and he has emerged as one of the most effective pick-and-roll ball handlers in the league.

Most of all, Smart’s presence has made a clear impact on the Jays during their All-Star seasons.

When Tatum plays alongside Smart this season, he averages 31.1 points per game on 46.9% shooting from the field. In 17 games without Smart, Tatum has only put up 27.2 points per game on a less impressive 43.1% clip from the floor.

Brown also benefits from Smart’s playmaking, posting 27.4 points per game on 50% shooting when the point guard plays and just 25.3 points per game on 46.9% shooting when he doesn’t.

Throughout his career, Smart has taken his game to another level in the postseason. Over his last three playoff runs, the defensive juggernaut has averaged 15.3 points on 40.5% shooting from the field. During those years, Smart notched a regular season scoring average of just 12.3 points on 40.1% shooting.

“Playoff Smart” is a real thing, and Celtics fans should be excited to watch the tenacious point guard give it his all this spring for a shot at basketball glory.

Of course, the embarrassment of backcourt riches in Beantown doesn’t end there.

Malcolm Brogdon has played a significant role in Boston’s offense this season, establishing himself as one of the frontrunners for Sixth Man of the Year.

Brad Stevens’ decision to trade for Brogdon last summer added to Boston’s guard depth in a big way. Brogdon averages the third-most points on the roster, adding 14.5 points per contest off the bench.

Along with his overall scoring punch, Brogdon has become automatic from deep this season. He has nailed 45.1% of his long-range jumpers, good for third-best in the entire NBA. He only trails teammate Al Horford and Memphis’ Luke Kennard in 3-point percentage this season.

Prior to the season, some Boston Celtics fans were understandably concerned about Brogdon’s injury history with Indiana. However, the veteran combo guard has largely silenced those worries by playing in 61 of 75 games thus far.

Brogdon has also played some of his best basketball in the clutch (5-point difference or less in the last 5 minutes of a game), ranking second on the team in clutch field goal percentage – only behind Rob Williams. The sharpshooter shoots 58.8% from the field and 50% from three in clutch situations.

In addition, White and Smart come in as the third and fourth most efficient Celtics in the clutch. Like Brogdon, White nails an incredible 50% of his crunch-time threes while sinking 54.5% of his field goal attempts.

In these situations, Smart shoots an impressive 45.9% from the floor on a higher volume of shot attempts. The DPOY only trails Tatum and Brown in clutch field goals made per game.

The Boston Celtics backcourt could be the Association’s best

Overall, Boston’s collection of guards has emerged as one of the deepest and most versatile rotations in the NBA.

Thanks to the improved playmaking of White and Smart, along with the arrival of another shot-creating ball handler in Brogdon, the Boston Celtics have successfully tackled an Achilles heel that hampered their offense for much of last season: turnovers.

After turnovers plagued them far too often last postseason, the Celtics clearly made it a mission to take better care of the ball moving forward. While the Jays have become quicker decision-makers and better distributors out of double teams, Boston’s backcourt depth has proven vital to the elimination of on-court mistakes.

In fact, Boston’s guard depth may serve as the biggest X factor for the Celtics come playoff time.

After ranking 14th in assist/turnover ratio last season, the Celtics currently hold the No. 4 spot in that category. In turn, they own the third-best offensive rating in the league.

If the Boston Celtics can maintain their elite ball movement and continue to take care of the rock, they will pose a serious threat to winning their 18th championship as one of the most complete teams in all of basketball.