This season has been a massive success for the Celtics, almost from start to finish. There have been positive revelations up and down the roster, and the amount of meaningful contributions that Joe Mazzulla has gotten from players on minimum and rookie contracts has been beyond impressive.
One of the more improbable things that has worked out for the team has been the center rotation. The position was a massive question mark coming into the season after losing Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet in the offseason.
To the credit of the front office, coaching staff, and players, the position has actually turned into a strength with Neemias Queta emerging as a legitimate starter, Luka Garza giving them great minutes as a backup, and the addition of a veteran stretch-big and post presence in Nikola Vucevic.
But now that the team has played itself into a top seed and Jayson Tatum has returned and looked good, fans are starting to dream of a championship, which means the expectations have changed dramatically.
Lack of defensive scheme versatility could prove to be fatal flaw
And with these heightened expectations, we have to start thinking of how this team stacks up in playoff matchups against the best teams in the league. And therein lies the potential problem with the team’s new frontcourt.
They simply lack the defensive versatility that they’ve had in the past, and that has fueled many champions in recent years. Over the course of this run, Boston has relied heavily on Horford to mix coverages and switch everything when necessary.
Now, the Celtics don’t really have any options other than to play deep drop coverage. Queta is very good at it, and Garza and Vooch are okay, but they can only play one way. At the Celtics’ defense’s peak, they were rotating between drop, switch, blitzing, playing at the level, and other options.
But when things get dicey against elite pick-and-roll ballhandlers who can pull up on a dime, it’s vital to have big men who can switch and take away those shots. Guys like Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, and others are going to destroy drop coverage to death. In years past, that would have led to a change, but what’s the option now?
There isn’t a center on the roster who can take on that role, with the best bet being to go small with Jayson Tatum at center. But that’s a lot to ask of a guy who’s fresh off an achilles tear and is really only an option in short bursts that could cripple them in other ways.
Celtics have to get creative with pick-and-roll coverage
They’ll get creative and try to hide their centers on non-bigs who can’t shoot. Many times we’ve seen them use a wing to guard Karl-Anthony Towns while the center roams around protecting the rim while “guarding” Josh Hart. But that’s far from a perfect option, and smart teams will find a way to take advantage.
When you look at recent champs, they’ve all had a switchable big who offers scheme versatility like Horford, Chet Holmgren, Anthony Davis, and Draymond Green. The only obvious exception in recent years has been Nikola Jokic, and let’s just say, Queta and Garza don’t exactly bring what the Joker does on offense.
The Celtics have the talent and coaching to give themselves a chance to overcome this issue, and if they get lucky with matchups, maybe it’s not a huge deal. But if there’s one glaring issue that threatens to sink them in the playoffs, look no further than the lack of defensive options in the frontcourt.