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Post by cole on Feb 23, 2021 10:17:37 GMT -5
Celtics to face Doncic tonight, then more of the Hawks (can't frickin wait) tomorrow.
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Post by kyceltic on Feb 23, 2021 10:26:18 GMT -5
I'm starting to visualize how 15 and 17 looks like!!
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Post by cole on Feb 23, 2021 10:46:56 GMT -5
I'm starting to visualize how 15 and 17 looks like!! was thinking the exact same thing
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Post by kyceltic on Feb 23, 2021 10:59:07 GMT -5
Looks like Cousins is being realised! I'm sure the Lakers will make room for him! At this point I wouldn't mind seeing what he could do for us, start him at power forward and Rwill at center!
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Post by DaCeltics on Feb 23, 2021 13:00:13 GMT -5
I predict we will beat Dallas because they're not good on defense.
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Post by Admin on Feb 23, 2021 19:23:43 GMT -5
The Celtics shook up their rotation. Now what? Jeff Teague and Grant Williams are out. Javonte Green and Aaron Nesmith are in. Except when they’re not. By JeremyStevens
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The Celtics have looked marginally more capable with a tightened rotation. That’s how it usually works, right? Jeff Teague and Grant Williams are mostly out, Aaron Nesmith is in, and Javonte Green makes guest appearances.
Herein lies a longstanding conflict I have: nobody knows who’s playing from game-to-game.
The rotation shakeup is pretty well justified. Grant Williams, who I appreciate and will always believe in, needs to hit the reset button. Individual player production is what it is, but Grant looked visibly frustrated at almost all points in the game, which is a losing formula. He doesn’t deserve any blame, just a break. A vacation, if you will.
Boston’s 26 fouls committed per game ranks them 26th, and Grant fouls at a breakneck pace. He’s averaged exactly 7.5 fouls per 100 possession in both this season and the last, which I feel is skewed by the short leash that comes with fouling too much. In other words, that number could be even higher if Brad Stevens let him play through his foul trouble like the starters are often allowed to.
As for Teague, how long is the grace period for a player to fit in on a new team? I don’t put a ton of stock in offensive rating as I believe it reflects more on the team than the individual, but I’ll note that Teague is the only Celtic besides Tremont Waters with a sub-100 offensive rating. What drives me insane about the Celtics’ offense in general - which is exacerbated by Teague - is the incredibly slow pace that the offense takes to do anything.
Remember when Gordon Hayward would bring the ball back out when the offense broke down so he could make the most of a dwindling shot clock? That’s kind of what Teague does, except he backs the ball out with 17 seconds left. Whether it’s by Brad’s design or Teague’s twisted desires, I can’t say. But the Celtics are 23rd in pace, and while it’s easy to blame the players, this particular issue seems structural rather than personal. The team has plenty of players capable of passing. The style of offense they play doesn’t accommodate it at all. Teague doesn’t do much in isolation, nor does he move the ball, which presumably cost him his minutes.
![](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Rz-nAbyITyHEsDihdacWuJBIelw=/0x0:672x388/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:672x388):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22320799/Screenshot_2021_02_22_at_1.27.12_PM.png)
Not that it’s a fair comparison, but Teague has a lower assist percentage than Boston’s top four players and a higher turnover rate than all of them. You can also see that his true shooting numbers are absolutely dwarfed by Payton Pritchard’s, as well as the rest of the team.
Enter Aaron Nesmith. You know what he’s really good at? Rebounding. Is that what they need him to do? Well, not necessarily, but I’m not complaining. The Tayshaun Prince-style chase down blocks in transition are nice as well, given that the Celtics have to play transition defense even after they score.
Nesmith has played in 15 out of 30 games. He’s logged over 20 minutes four times in Feburary alone after having never crossed that mark in team’s first 25 games. (He played 19:30 on December 30th against Memphis and 19:36 on February 19th against Atlanta, if you want to include those.)
![](https://twitter.com/JeremyWCT/status/1363956191907430405/photo/1) ![](https://twitter.com/JeremyWCT/status/1363956191907430405/photo/1) ![](https://celticshomecourt.freeforums.net/attachment/download/3067) Even without any big breakout moments, having a wing play 20-ish minutes per game and not get crushed on defense or turning the ball over on offense is sorely needed. The bar is extremely low given how poorly the team has played when Jayson Tatum sits, but it’s something.
Finally, Javonte Green started a game the other day, which means he’s started more games than Robert Williams. As an energy guy, Javonte absolutely deserves the minutes he gets. As I’ve said many times I only care about two things when I watch basketball: playing hard and making smart decisions. Javonte is on the short list of players who I believe have consistently done both in his time on the floor this season.
The harsh reality is that Green, Nesmith, Williams, Teague, among others, have offered virtually nothing on the offensive end and you can only have so many players like that, no matter how good they are at other things. The lack of consistent playing time is an issue that falls mostly on coaching, and based on the past eight seasons, I don’t expect that issue to be fixed.
The Celtics are usually exceptional at optimizing players with odd or unique skillsets, but they don’t have anyone like that right now outside of maybe Marcus Smart. Now, they have to win games in, like, the normal way? I don’t know how to put it. The NBA is now a league of specialists, but the Celtics are a team of well-rounded basketball players. I’m not sure how they patch the holes without players who excel in specific areas like rebounding and passing. I mean, Rob Williams is the perfect example of a unique skillset that the Celtics turn into a killing machine, but he’s evidently on a minutes restriction because of his pesky hip.
More to the point, the Celtics rotation is deep in the same way that a cave is deep. Sure, there’s plenty of room to explore, but are you prepared to live in a cave? Doesn’t a house have all the best qualities of a cave without being an actual cave? The Celtics need to build a house.
I’m running out of analogies.
Attachments:![](//storage.proboards.com/6508959/thumbnailer/ohovdoAqUknHlqhDPIGU.png)
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Post by Admin on Feb 23, 2021 19:39:30 GMT -5
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Post by Admin on Feb 23, 2021 19:44:52 GMT -5
There’s still plenty of time ahead of the March 25 trade deadline, but Celtics president Danny Ainge reportedly isn’t afraid to check out his options.
Making an appearance on The Colin Cowherd Podcast, NBA analyst Ric Bucher said Ainge tried to move Celtics guard Kemba Walker earlier this year, who’s been recovering his knee from an offseason injection.
“A lot of GMs are ticked off at Danny because Danny tried like hell to move Kemba at the beginning of the year, knowing that his knee wasn’t right,” Bucher said. “He was trying to get rid of damaged goods. That’s the issue that Kemba is dealing with, and at his size, it’s a little bit like Isaiah Thomas.”
Walker’s been playing through a tough season since he returned to the court Jan. 17. He’s shown flashes of his former All-Star self, like in a 28-point game against the Hawks.
But for the most part, the efficiency and scoring are down. Walker is averaging 17 points and 4.1 assists per game this season on 37.1% shooting and 34.3% on 3-pointers.
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 19:45:23 GMT -5
Congrats to Jaylen on his Allstar selection (though I could give a sh*t about the Allstar game). He's certainly deserved it.
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 19:47:47 GMT -5
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 19:48:51 GMT -5
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 19:49:32 GMT -5
Jayson for 3
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 19:50:24 GMT -5
Tatum under the rim for 2. 9 - 4 C's
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 19:51:04 GMT -5
Dwight Powell has stuck around with this Dallas franchise.
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 19:51:38 GMT -5
Jaylen to the line for 2. C's going to their allstars early.
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Post by hedleylamarr on Feb 23, 2021 19:51:48 GMT -5
Max said Luka is better than Bird at this age. Said Bird would be a player like Luka in 2021
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Post by hedleylamarr on Feb 23, 2021 19:52:06 GMT -5
Dwight Powell has stuck around with this Dallas franchise. I always liked him
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Post by Admin on Feb 23, 2021 19:54:49 GMT -5
14-9 C's and TO Mavs on Kemba three ...
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2021 19:56:22 GMT -5
Looks like Cousins is being realised! I'm sure the Lakers will make room for him! At this point I wouldn't mind seeing what he could do for us, start him at power forward and Rwill at center! Waived Cook today.. Opened up a roster spot.. Then said they had little or no interest in Cousins?
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 19:56:58 GMT -5
Kemba for 3. Timeout Dallas.
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 19:59:13 GMT -5
I think the word is out on Boston. Attack them in the paint. It's like watching them with Olynyk and Zeller manning the middle again.
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 19:59:41 GMT -5
See what I mean? Too easy.
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 19:59:59 GMT -5
Theis to the line for 2.
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 20:00:37 GMT -5
Payton checks in.
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Post by drboogiebone on Feb 23, 2021 20:02:00 GMT -5
Tatum to Theis for 2
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