Sorting out the Celtics' crowded frontcourt
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Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens will have his hands full next season trying to incorporate two veteran forwards into a frontcourt rotation comprised of young, developing bigs.
The offseason acquisitions of both Amir Johnson and David Lee offer Stevens even more options at the four and five spots, but their arrivals could present some problems in terms of where minutes are allocated.
2014-15 statistics
| Player | Minutes | PPG | FG% | RPG | PER | USG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amir Johnson (TOR) | 26.4 | 9.3 | 57.4 | 6.1 | 15.4 | 15.7 |
| David Lee (GS) | 18.4 | 7.9 | 51.1 | 5.2 | 17.8 | 19.6 |
| Kelly Olynyk | 22.2 | 10.3 | 47.5 | 4.7 | 15.9 | 21.1 |
| Jared Sullinger | 27 | 13.3 | 43.9 | 7.6 | 17.9 | 23.6 |
| Tyler Zeller | 21.1 | 10.2 | 54.9 | 5.7 | 18.9 | 19.6 |
"We have more traditional bigs than last year," Stevens recently said to MassLive.com's Jay King, "so we have to play a little bit more traditional and ... be prepared to do that well."
It doesn't get more traditional than the 6-foot-7 Lee, who is just two years removed from his second All-Star season, when he averaged a double-double of 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds. He fell out of favor in Golden State for the younger Draymond Green following his return from a back injury, but that shouldn't be an indication that he can't still perform at a high level.
Lee can finish around the rim with both hands, step outside to stretch the floor with a mid-range jumper, or dish out to open teammates when facing pressure in the post with exceptional court awareness. His biggest road block - thanks to his defense, which has been a red flag for the majority of his career - will be proving to Stevens that it's worth giving him a decent amount of playing time.
He shouldn't be viewed as part of Boston's long-term plans, but as an expiring deal of just over $15 million, perhaps it would be in Stevens' best interest to give him a solid run during the opening months of the season, if only to increase his trade value.
Johnson, 28, doesn't have Lee's well-rounded offensive repertoire, relying on areas of his game that don't necessarily show up on a stat sheet to make an impact, such as setting screens and protecting the paint area. He truly is the ultimate team player, never needing or demanding a hefty role on offense, despite being the starting power forward in Toronto the last five seasons.
His health and durability are always going to be a concern. Johnson has a reputation for masking pain and playing through injury, but as a projected reserve in Boston, and with the depth that surrounds him, any uncertainties will be fewer and farther between. With the second year of his contract being non-guaranteed, the Celtics have the option to sever ties with Johnson should things get ugly.
Zeller was a revelation for Boston as the starting center, showing admirable range from 15-19 feet by hitting 46.2 percent of his 91 attempts. He should only continue to improve in his second full season in Beantown, as long as his minutes stay on par with what they were last year.
Poor conditioning has always been the Achilles heel of Sullinger, with team president Danny Ainge being openly critical of the 23-year-old's weight in the past. It appears Sullinger has used this summer to focus on leaning out, though, which is long overdue.
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— Jared Sullinger (@Jared_Sully0) August 12, 2015
Olynyk is a wild card as he enters his third season in the league, which is usually when players tend to break out in some capacity. He joined Team Canada this summer for the FIBA Americas, ranking fifth in the tournament in rebounding with 7.5 boards per game. Olynyk possesses tremendous upside, but will need to work toward becoming a better man-to-man defender in the paint after allowing an 18.9 PER to opposing centers in 2014-15, according to 82Games.com.
Projected Minutes
There are far too many cooks in the kitchen for this frontcourt to work like a well-oiled machine. Ainge needs to look into making a trade the first chance he gets, with Lee being the most likely of the lot to be sent packing because of his contract.
The Zeller-Sullinger-Olynyk trio are all under the age of 25, with their best basketball still to come. Stevens needs to focus his attention on developing that big man core, rather than putting all of his eggs in the basket of two forwards who probably won't be in Celtic green next year.
Rookie Jordan Mickey may also become a factor, but he'll likely be moving back and forth between the NBA and D-League most of the season.