The Boston Celtics turned on a dime this summer, and shook up the roster in a big way while recovering nicely from a sudden exodus of talent.
We’re not here to talk roster-building, however — it’s time to take a look at how those veterans who joined the team meshed with the ones who remained, checking the results of each versus preseason expectations.
The most important veteran addition was point guard Kemba Walker, but center Enes Kanter has had an important role to play for the team as well.
Perhaps even more important, a number of younger players began to shape into the players we hoped to see, while a few others have lagged behind more than we would have hoped as tends to happen.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the veteran players we have contrasted with the ones we thought we’d be getting, grouped into arbitrary if functional subgroupings because that’s what you do for these sort of things.
All-Stars
This subgrouping should be pretty straightforward — Boston has two former All-Stars on its roster, and the ideal scenario would be that both would be able to reach that level once again surrounded with talent and possessing good health.
It likely isn’t going to work out that way, but let’s take a look at the context.
Gordon Hayward
Hayward has finally returned — on most nights — to the player Boston hoped they were signing in 2017. There still seems to be a gear (or three, sometimes) skipping on some nights, but the brilliant, skilled play on both ends is back, if in slightly diminished form.
While the hope he could return to All-Star form isn’t likely to be met, it’s not entirely his fault; the system he’s operating in isn’t designed to showcase him as it was on the Utah Jazz, and it’s not ike he asked for a broken hand or recurrent foot pain,
That latter bit is a little scary, as is his future contract situation. But neither of those things are being analyzed here, just how he did vs. what we hoped, reasonably from him. He’s had a very good season even considering the bad stretches, enough so the notion of him opting out of his final season is a bit scary too.
Kemba Walker
The UConn product came to the Celtics as the free agency equivalent of a buzzer-beater, and has been an integral part of the team’s success. His leadership has been the salve the team needs after a season we’d like to forget, and his on-court skills provided the cover needed for the Jays to make the leap we’ve been hoping for.
There’s not much to critique the Bronx native for, but there are a few areas we could reasonably have hoped for more. Chief of which is health, but one can’t fault a player much for that, even if Walker has missed more time this season than he had in his last several as a Charlotte Hornet combined.
The drop in scoring and assists from last season (21.7 down from 25.6 and 5 from 5.9, respectively) is negative, but some of that is due to him carrying less of his new team’s load, evidenced by boosts to his shooting numbers (50.2 %, a career-high from two, up from 49.4 % and 39 % from from three, up from 35.6).
Starters*
Starters with an asterisk — why the qualification, you ask? They are able to start on any night they are asked, even though on this team, they may not be. With a certain degree of matchup-adaptability built into this roster, both or either of this duo can find themselves on the parquet for tip or subbed in later when their skills are better used.
Marcus Smart
Smart is as hard to grade as he is to score on, as much of the value he brings is hard to measure in counting stats and shooting percentages. Even when he was a terrible offensive player, he still made winning plays for the team, and now … he’s actually kind of good shooting the ball.
While he’s taken steps backwards with two-point accuracy — dropping from 51.1 % last season to 42.9 % — his 3-ball has mostly stayed honest even after a severe eye infection notably impacted his offense over several contests.
He’s shooting over two more per game, too, making the gravity drawn from defenses keep lanes open for teammates to cut to the basket. And his defense is everything it has been in previous years and more, with him turning in a borderline Defensive-Player-of-the-Year performance guarding 1-through-5.
While it may not be Smart’s fault when he gets hurt, the way he plays probably called for a game or two more rest this season, which he declined as is his right. But as he ages, he may not retain that wolverine-like healing ability, so a little more rest against inferior opponents is probably in order.
Daniel Theis
The German big is also hard to grade, as his play last season was impacted by a long recovery from the injury that took Theis out of Boston’s 2018 NBA Playoff run. But he seems to have healed from that mishap, the rare night missed to knee soreness aside.
He’s had some huge games for the Celtics, surpassing anything we could have reasonably expected from a player we weren’t even sure could start sometimes at the beginning of the season, and he’s mostly claimed that role for himself this season, ceding it to Kanter against the biggest fives.
But he’s also had some quiet nights where he fades into the background. Still, even in those games, he rarely makes mistakes, with the third-fewest turnovers per game per 100 possessions on the team.
He’s quietly become a rim protector as well, jumping up to 1.6 blocks per game from just 0.6 last season; the only significant decline has been in his 3-point shooting, which has fallen to 32.1 % from 38.8 %.
The Jay Team
Lest the previous subgrouping confuse, this pair of young Celtics are indeed also starters, but they do not have an asterisk concerning that status — it’s a given on any night both will be playing when tip-off goes down. And for good reason; the short-term future of the franchise is finally, truly in their hands.
Jaylen Brown
After a somewhat disappointing junior campaign for the Cal-Berkeley product, Brown signed a $107 million extension to the concern of many, understandably looking backward and nervous as to whether the growth which would justify such a big paycheck would come.
The concern did not last long.
The Georgian made big leaps in his game in terms of both counting stats and skills, becoming a much more well-rounded player. With increased ballhandling, passing, and body control, the Marietta native has become one of the most interesting young wings in the league.
Virtually every aspect of his game has grown for the better, a rare statement even for these overachieving Celtics.
Jayson Tatum
The third-year Duke product has also taken steps forward, though not as dramatic as Brown’s. Given the leap forward his teammate made this season, that’s not a good metric for Tatum’s development, which is at or slightly below a typical growth curve for a top prospect like the Missouri native.
While he did have issues finishing earlier in the season, he’s since improved his numbers near-basket. And while his accuracy has dipped a little across the board, much is due to his expanding role in Boston’s offense, which has put him more squarely on opponent’s radar.
Even with the added defensive attention, he’s managed to boost his scoring up from 15.7 points per game last season to 21.5 with some minor growth across the rest of his counting stats, and his defense has grown as well.
Tatum was one of the guilty parties chucking up shots early in the shot clock during the Celtics’ stretch of rough games to start the season, but has tamped down on the habit in recent games, so little to complain about here as well.
The Specialists
While they aren’t always a good fit because of who they are as players, sometimes, they are a good fit — for the same reasons. It’s no secret Enes Kanter is not the guy you want on the floor for a pick-and-roll heavy opponent, and if you need a bucket, Semi Ojeleye is the wrong guy to turn to.
But they also have indispensable skills that have been key at times for the team — how well have they played within their roles?
Enes Kanter
Once you come to terms with Kanter’s baked-in strengths and weaknesses, it’s clear you want him to generate offense on second-chance attempts and pull down boards at a high clip without costing you too much on the defensive end.
Much of his success depends on head coach Brad Stevens putting him in situations he can succeed in, and so far, he has. He’s had a few stinkers as most players have, and limits what Boston can do against certain elite bigs.
But it’s also not reasonable to judge him negatively for not doing jobs no one anticipated him to do well, and he’s mostly stuck to doing what he’s been asked to with little complaint despite getting fewer minutes than at any point in his career after his second season.
Semi Ojeleye
A literal wall of muscle who can help a wing-heavy offense quickly recover to defend both faster perimeter players and burly bigs when needed, Ojeleye was hoped to add to his offensive game as well this season, his third.
And, in some ways, he has — he’s currently shooting a career-high 37.7 % from deep. But that’s the only step forward he’s made on offense besides boosting his free throw percentage (up to 81.3 % from 61.5 %).
He’ll keep his high rotation role as long as he continues to be such a versatile defender, but he’ll never get a big-money contract as long as his ability to put points on the scoreboards continues to languish.
Rotation
It speaks to good roster management by Danny Ainge and the rest of the front office that the team has no unproductive veterans on the roster. But how have the pair of rotation players left ungraded fared compared to expectations?
A journeyman and a bit of a project in terms of development have both fared well — though both have room for improvement.
Brad Wanamaker
With perhaps the lowest expectations of any veteran on the roster, the Pitt product has managed to exceed them, yet still may be less than what Boston needs.
He’s not especially dynamic of an offensive player, yet has proven to be a calming presence as a floor general when called on to fill a larger role, and has defended well no matter how much run he gets.
The biggest knock on Wanamaker this season is a noteworthy drop in efficiency coming with that bigger role — his 3-point percentage has fallen from a sizzling 41 % last season to just 31.6 %, and 2-point percentage to 46.1 % from 55.2 %.
Robert Williams III
It’s hard to grade a player who hasn’t played much this season, but it’s not Timelord’s fault he hurt his hip. What was hoped for from him this campaign was a player who made less of the defensive mistakes taking him out of action in his rookie season, and more diversity on the offensive end of the floor.
He demonstrated flashes of some away-from-basket scoring (albeit not that far) and some intriguing passing that started to suggest the former Aggie could realistically be a starting center for the team with a little more growth.
While the hope was that might come by the end of the season, with the justifiable care being taken with his hip, we may not see it until 2020-21 in earnest. That’s just fine, though, as we’ve already seen most of what we wanted to out of this young rim-runner to date.
Only a dip in 2-point efficiency (down to 67.3 % from 70.6 %) and the free throw line (57.1 % from 60 %) are negatives, and the latter normal when shooting father from the cup.
Grades
Again, these reflect how these veterans have fared compared to preseason expectations, not based on hoped-for growth or how they have performed vs. their rookie peers or some external standard.
Gordon Hayward: B+
Hayward deserves a lot of credit for the steps forward he’s taken, but he also deserves a little criticism for the lack of consistency, injuries aside. Conversely, he shouldn’t be dinged too much for it, as it’s impossible to tell how much his lingering discomfort from the horrific injury at the start of his Celtics tenure is impacting that inconsistency.
Kemba Walker: A-
Very little to take the UConn product to task for. Small dips in counting stats are really the only steps backward the New Yorker took, and if we’re being honest, his taking a smaller role could very well be for the greater good anyway.
Marcus Smart: A-
Smart has taken steps forward in almost every way save self-care. He’s still young enough to ignore the fact that he’s mortal (we think, anyway), but the worst thing to critique the Texan for is his drop in 2-point efficiency.
Daniel Theis: B+
If he were just a little more consistent, he’d be in “A” territory; apart from occasional disappearing acts and some dips in accuracy, he’s taken all the steps forward you could ask for.
Jaylen Brown: A+
After the unexpected leaps forward made by the Cal-Berkeley product, it’s hard to give him anything less than a perfect grade. There are things to complain about if you squint, but it’ll give you a headache if you do it long enough.
Jayson Tatum: A-
Not much to gripe about here, either. A general drop in accuracy and some poorer shot selection for stretches aside, this has been an outstanding third season for the former Blue Devil.
Enes Kanter: B-
Kanter missed games early in the season to injury, but has since put his imprint on Boston’s second unit. There’s little to criticize apart his defensive foibles — and even then, the Turkish center has been a big net positive for the team.
Semi Ojeleye: C-
Semi has yet to take long hoped-for steps forward on the offensive end of the ball. But he also continues to excel in the “D-and-D” role he’s carved out for himself, and so avoids a D (grade), ironically.
Brad Wanamaker: C+
The other Brad has stepped up when given a chance, proving to be a capable floor general and excellent defender. He still needs work on finding his shot this season, but more attention tends to come with more opportunity, and he could have taken it better.
Robert Williams III: A-
While he’s missed more than half of the team’s games, it’s hardly his fault his hip betrayed him. We’ve seen growth as a defender and a nascent passing and away-from-basket game that meet most of what we’d want from Timelord. His accuracy dip from two and the stripe are the biggest “problems” he’s had, and they are minor ones.
Putting it all together
The “back nine” of the NBA season is upon us, and we may see some movement to the depths of the rotation, and possibly even involving a heavy-minute veteran.
But from the looks of the trade landscape, it’s more likely a small move or none for this roster, meaning continuity for a chemistry-reliant outfit will (hopefully) remain intact.
That there are no glaringly useless players among the veterans and that they all still seem to be on an upward trajectory despite Hayward and Walker being older than their teammates is promising, even in context.
Postseason success will depend mightily on health and growth from the Jays, and what we’ve seen so far has been a promising half-season where both have been positive for the most part.
Let’s hope it continues.
