With the offseason in full swing for the Boston Celtics, we’re back with our second installment of our three-part series grading the team’s 2019-20 season on a player-by-player basis.
In this edition, we shift our attention to the veterans off of the bench, having a different set of standards than we did for the first installment of the series, on the team’s historically large seven-man rookie class.
With this group of Celtics, we expect more — more scoring, more defensive prowess, and more growth than we did of the rookies.
With five such players on the roster, Boston ought to have had a fairly solid bench, but as evidenced by the team’s early exit from the 2020 NBA Playoffs, there will be a few bad grades to give out.
Grading the Boston Celtics’ 2019-20 season by player, part 1: rookies https://t.co/c2s8B1ItgF
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 5, 2020
We shouldn’t expect the world of players coming off of the bench, to be sure — but as the team unexpectedly threw open a contention window widely assumed to be at least another season in the future, expectations had to shift with it.
Our rubric in his case is that each and every player coming off of the bench needs to be providing the team at least one solid area of contributions on a consistent basis to be pulling their weight.
WATCH: Time Lord’s best plays from the East Finals vs. Miami Heat https://t.co/r1tGwkl0jf
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 5, 2020
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at how the veteran bench did this season.
Brad Wanamaker – guard – 1 season experience – $1,445,697
When it comes to the term “veteran,” you can’t be less of one and still use the term with the level of NBA experience Wanamaker has under his belt with one full season to his name in the league.
But he is a veteran, and in 2019-20, his play his met the bar for what you’d want for a low-cost floor general off the bench and then some.
While he isn’t flashy, he’s been a steady presence when his name’s been called, a solid source of offense and stability that earned the Pitt product a solid B+.
Semi Ojeleye – forward – 2 seasons experience – $1,618,520
This was a critical year for Ojeleye’s career, where he needed to show he can provide at least a small boost on offense off the bench to warrant a spot in this league.
And while he flashed signs of moving in that direction — his 3-point percentage rose to a career-high 37.8% — he’s still gun-shy using that newfound accuracy in games.
While he might stick in this league with his above-average defensive chops, in a crowded race for Celtics roster spots, Semi’s 2019-20 performance might have been a little less than needed to ensure himself a slot next season with his D+ performance.
Robert Williams III – center – 1 season experience – $1,937,520
At the start of Time Lord’s 2019-20 season, there was plenty to be excited about. A drop-off in mistakes on defense combined with a nascent passing and away-from-the-basket game suggested the Louisiana native was on the verge of a big leap.
Then, his hip betrayed him — or the fact he kept landing on it so damn much, perhaps. After he’d healed with an extended absence, the league shut down due to the pandemic, nearly robbing Rob of his second season.
He showed enough in the Disney restart to convince us that growth was real, even if he didn’t get time to polish it. Given that was hardly his fault, we have to give the big man an A- for what he came up with in a season full of setbacks.
Enes Kanter – center – 8 seasons experience – $4,767,000
The outspoken Turkish center takes a lot of flak from fans and foes alike, but for the salary he makes and what Boston knew they were getting in terms of strengths and weaknesses, Kanter has proven himself a very worthy investment indeed.
Despite his inability to defend the pick and roll effectively, he’s still a potent offense against more traditional frontcourts and can be a powerful tool in short bursts, as we saw in the East Finals against the Miami Heat.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting more of players, but it’s unfair to grade them as individuals when you bring on a vet with defined skills and then knock them for things outside that; with this in mind, Kanter earned himself a B- in 2019-20.
Marcus Smart – guard – 5 years experience – $12,553,571
Technically speaking, Smart is not a bench player with 40 starts in a 60-game season, but the plan was for the Flower mound native to come off the bench before Hayward’s health intervened mid-season.
And nightly, off the bench or among the starters, Smart did his job without complaint. With a few exceptions, his heat-check fiestas and out-of-control temper flare-ups had become things of the past, producing the best offensive season of his career and an All-Defensive First Team selection to boot.
That all of this value comes on less than half of a max deal’s cost — and did not waiver despite a pandemic and Smart himself coming down with COVID-19 is a testament to the toughness and dedication the unofficial captain of the team shows nightly. For that, nothing less than an A+ will do.
