There’s a common misconception out there that the main tenet of the Celtics and Joe Mazzulla’s system is a reliance on the three-point shot. And while that’s certainly a big part of the equation, in reality, it’s all about winning the possession battle and making sure to take more shot attempts than the opponent.
Boston leaned into this formula heavily last season, and it brought them great regular-season success. They won the rebounding battle, won the turnover battle, got up more shots (and yes, three-point shots are worth more than two), and that led to a lot of wins.
After the playoff failure, there was some thought that the team needed a stylistic change, but instead, they’ve leaned into it even more, especially when it comes to offensive rebounding. Boston started last season as a very suspect rebounding team, but they made it a point of emphasis and became one of the league’s best.
The way they crashed the glass with purpose and generated extra shots was impossible not to notice. They had two of the NBA’s best offensive-rebounding centers in Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, but it was a total team effort with guys like Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, and others mastering the corner crash to steal extra possessions.
Celtics should be top offensive rebounding team in the NBA
And now, the Celtics should be even deadlier in that area after adding Mitchell Robinson, arguably the best offensive rebounder in the entire league. The blueprint was already there, and now the personnel to match have arrived as well. Between Robinson, Queta, and Garza, the Celtics should have a center who is elite at offensive rebounding and contested rebounds on the floor for 48 minutes a night.
Centers Offensive Rebounding% & Contested Rebounding% (2025-26) pic.twitter.com/NLWfU3pC9Y
— zeb (@zebweb) July 10, 2026
Jayson Tatum is an elite rebounder for his position as well, and Boston will likely have one of their young wing rebounding maestros on the court at all times. Even guys like Amari Williams and the rookies, Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell, should fit the mold very well if they can earn minutes. The roster is oozing with flexibility and variability, and regardless of which five players Mazzulla puts on the court, they should be able to execute the system extremely well.
Last season, the Celtics were 5th in the league in offensive rebounding rate and 3rd in total rebounding rate. That was in a season where it took months to figure out the proper rotations and maximize the style. This season, they’ll be locked in from the jump and should be able to dominate from the opening tip.
Even the best shooters in the world are going to have off nights, but creating more shots should always lead to better results. Boston is primed to maximize their offensive possessions and give their shooters and scorers as many chances as they need to put the ball in the hoop. It’s not exactly a foolproof strategy, but it’s one that has already proven to be effective and should be further optimized for success going forward.
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