This season, Neemias Queta led the Celtics with 18 double-doubles. In second place: Jayson Tatum. Despite playing in just 22 games across the regular season and playoffs, Tatum recorded 15 double-doubles (and one triple-double). This is an amazing accomplishment for JT, who has come so far as a passer and rebounder in recent years.Â
He finished the regular season averaging a double-double with 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, which speaks to his all-around, well-balanced game and how much he stepped up to fill needs for a Celtics roster that had completely transformed since his achilles injury.
But therein lies the problem; he had to fill a lot of needs. It’s an awesome stat for Tatum that he was second on the team in double-doubles, but it speaks to a bigger issue. The versatility is lacking, and the consistent ability to get there in areas other than scoring - even without Tatum - was an issue.
Double-doubles obviously aren’t the be-all, end-all. At the end of the day, it’s just an arbitrary stat based on round numbers that we love. But the Celtics’ leading assist man had just 5.4 a game, and other than JT, the only Celtic pulling down 7+ rebounds per game was Queta.
Celtics had to work too hard for rebounds and assists
They got by with great team rebounding and ball movement, and it was a very inclusive approach, but it didn’t work in the playoffs. Part of that is on Joe Mazzulla for not using his roster well enough, for sure. But maybe this would be easier if the Celtics had another player or two who could simply go out and produce.
If they added a big man who could be a reliable force on the glass every night and a guard who could pressure the defense off the dribble and make plays, things would look a lot better. We could also see more from guys like Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, Ron Harper Jr., and Hugo Gonzalez.
Ultimately, it really doesn’t matter where the production comes from, but it has to come from somewhere, and it has to be able to translate to the playoffs. I trust Brad Stevens and this front office to decide what the best course of action is, but I’m confident we'll have reliable playmakers to put on the floor.
Whether that means the guys already on the team or players acquired in the offseason is up to him and his team, but one way or another, the Celtics need more next season. PS: I heard there is a guy in Milwaukee who has averaged a double-double in 8 of the last 9 seasons. I'm just saying.
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