Manage The Minutes & Focus On Health

[Phantom255x]

We're 7.5 games ahead of the Cavaliers in the East with 25 games to go. We also own the tiebreaker over Cleveland. Cleveland isn't catching us. We're also about 5 games ahead of the West 1 seed so there's a cushion.

Tatum played 43 minutes on Saturday Night. There really shouldn't be a reason any of our main guys are playing 38+ minutes a night going forward. Also need to make sure Porzingis and others are healthy and as fresh as possible for a long postseason run. I would start load managing a bit and reducing minutes. It's about April through hopefully June. Don't need to run these guys to the ground now.

[Silas]

We're 7.5 games ahead of the Cavaliers in the East with 25 games to go. We also own the tiebreaker over Cleveland. Cleveland isn't catching us. We're also about 5 games ahead of the West 1 seed so there's a cushion.

Tatum played 43 minutes on Saturday Night. There really shouldn't be a reason any of our main guys are playing 38+ minutes a night going forward. Also need to make sure Porzingis and others are healthy and as fresh as possible for a long postseason run. I would start load managing a bit and reducing minutes. It's about April through hopefully June. Don't need to run these guys to the ground now.

I agree with you.  Joe needs to give the bench more minutes.  However, I checked the team's minutes/game and they are surprisingly low:

Tatum - 35.9 m/g
Brown - 33.4 m/g
Holiday - 33.3 m/g
White - 32.3 m/g
KP - 29.6 m/g
Horford - 27.1 m/g
Hauser - 21.2 m/g
PP - 20.6 m/g
Kornet - 14.8 m/g

[Goldstar88]

We're 7.5 games ahead of the Cavaliers in the East with 25 games to go. We also own the tiebreaker over Cleveland. Cleveland isn't catching us. We're also about 5 games ahead of the West 1 seed so there's a cushion.

Tatum played 43 minutes on Saturday Night. There really shouldn't be a reason any of our main guys are playing 38+ minutes a night going forward. Also need to make sure Porzingis and others are healthy and as fresh as possible for a long postseason run. I would start load managing a bit and reducing minutes. It's about April through hopefully June. Don't need to run these guys to the ground now.

I agree with you.  Joe needs to give the bench more minutes.  However, I checked the team's minutes/game and they are surprisingly low:

Tatum - 35.9 m/g
Brown - 33.4 m/g
Holiday - 33.3 m/g
White - 32.3 m/g
KP - 29.6 m/g
Horford - 27.1 m/g
Hauser - 21.2 m/g
PP - 20.6 m/g
Kornet - 14.8 m/g

It’s almost like he’s been managing their minutes well the whole year… 

[Phantom255x]

We're 7.5 games ahead of the Cavaliers in the East with 25 games to go. We also own the tiebreaker over Cleveland. Cleveland isn't catching us. We're also about 5 games ahead of the West 1 seed so there's a cushion.

Tatum played 43 minutes on Saturday Night. There really shouldn't be a reason any of our main guys are playing 38+ minutes a night going forward. Also need to make sure Porzingis and others are healthy and as fresh as possible for a long postseason run. I would start load managing a bit and reducing minutes. It's about April through hopefully June. Don't need to run these guys to the ground now.

I agree with you.  Joe needs to give the bench more minutes.  However, I checked the team's minutes/game and they are surprisingly low:

Tatum - 35.9 m/g
Brown - 33.4 m/g
Holiday - 33.3 m/g
White - 32.3 m/g
KP - 29.6 m/g
Horford - 27.1 m/g
Hauser - 21.2 m/g
PP - 20.6 m/g
Kornet - 14.8 m/g

It’s almost like he’s been managing their minutes well the whole year… 

Make them a bit lower lol

[Who]

Rest the players too much and they won't be ready for the playoffs when they begin. They won't be match fit because they will not have been playing enough minutes.

It is a bit of tightrope between rest & keeping them ready.

[tenn_smoothie]

We're 7.5 games ahead of the Cavaliers in the East with 25 games to go. We also own the tiebreaker over Cleveland. Cleveland isn't catching us. We're also about 5 games ahead of the West 1 seed so there's a cushion.

Tatum played 43 minutes on Saturday Night. There really shouldn't be a reason any of our main guys are playing 38+ minutes a night going forward. Also need to make sure Porzingis and others are healthy and as fresh as possible for a long postseason run. I would start load managing a bit and reducing minutes. It's about April through hopefully June. Don't need to run these guys to the ground now.

You might start limiting minutes and I would have long before now - but Joe seems oblivious to the impact all those excess minutes, along with deep playoff runs the past few seasons, have on fresh legs and rested players. If they run out of gas in the playoffs - and the jump shot is where fatigue shows up first, then I'm gonna blame Mazzulla. But then, I don't believe the guy has any business being our coach to begin with.

[Kernewek]

Imagine thinking 36mpg is 'excessive' for a 25 year old.

[Celtics2021]

Nonsense.  There are going to be games in the playoffs where minutes can’t be limited, and now is the time in the season to get ready for that.  In two weeks we start a stretch where 8 of 10 games are against teams with losing records. Minutes can be limited then, but on the road against a potential playoff matchup coming out of the All-Star break?  No way.

[Roy H.]

Imagine thinking 36mpg is 'excessive' for a 25 year old.

Haha.  The most unbreakable record in sports?  Wilt Chamberlain's 45.8 minutes per game career average. 

[Silas]

Imagine thinking 36mpg is 'excessive' for a 25 year old.

Haha.  The most unbreakable record in sports?  Wilt Chamberlain's 45.8 minutes per game career average.

Even more amazing is that in the 61/62 season he averaged 48.52 m/g.  Played every minute including overtime games...incredible.

[Roy H.]

As Who said, it's a balance.  My guess is that Joe's thinking if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  He's managed minutes all season, with only Tatum averaging as many as 34.  And, he's gotten KP and Horford plenty of rest.

The only minor criticism I've had is that sometimes Joe leaves the starters in too long at the end of blowouts, after the game is decided.  But, in those instances, it's not an extra couple of minutes that worries me -- they're pretty low leverage -- but rather the chance of a freak injury. 

But ultimately, I think my preference is to maintain the status quo through the end of the regular season.

[Redz]

As Who said, it's a balance.  My guess is that Joe's thinking if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  He's managed minutes all season, with only Tatum averaging as many as 34.  And, he's gotten KP and Horford plenty of rest.

The only minor criticism I've had is that sometimes Joe leaves the starters in too long at the end of blowouts, after the game is decided.  But, in those instances, it's not an extra couple of minutes that worries me -- they're pretty low leverage -- but rather the chance of a freak injury. 

But ultimately, I think my preference is to maintain the status quo through the end of the regular season.

It seems like Joe measures the opponent’s approach at the end of games when it’s out of reach.  If they’ve got their guys in and are still competing, then he leaves his guys in.  Or maybe it’s the other way around where the opposing coach is waiting for Joe to bench his guys.  Either way, he seems to react rather than initiate that sequence, which is fine as long as it’s keeping the message that the starters can’t get lackadaisical while they’re still on the court - and largely they haven’t this year, as opposed to seasons in the past.

[Celtics2021]

As Who said, it's a balance.  My guess is that Joe's thinking if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  He's managed minutes all season, with only Tatum averaging as many as 34.  And, he's gotten KP and Horford plenty of rest.

The only minor criticism I've had is that sometimes Joe leaves the starters in too long at the end of blowouts, after the game is decided.  But, in those instances, it's not an extra couple of minutes that worries me -- they're pretty low leverage -- but rather the chance of a freak injury. 

But ultimately, I think my preference is to maintain the status quo through the end of the regular season.

It seems like Joe measures the opponent’s approach at the end of games when it’s out of reach.  If they’ve got their guys in and are still competing, then he leaves his guys in.  Or maybe it’s the other way around where the opposing coach is waiting for Joe to bench his guys.  Either way, he seems to react rather than initiate that sequence, which is fine as long as it’s keeping the message that the starters can’t get lackadaisical while they’re still on the court - and largely they haven’t this year, as opposed to seasons in the past.

Yeah, he typically lets the other team concede by pulling their guys, and then he pulls his.  As long as the other team is still trying to win, he honors the competition and leaves in the main rotation.

[michigan adam]

Exactly.  Get through these next 6 games against "contenders" and then 14 out of the final 19 games are against "non-contenders.  They can rest more then if desired.

[RodyTur10]

Exactly.  Get through these next 6 games against "contenders" and then 14 out of the final 19 games are against "non-contenders.  They can rest more then if desired.

In these final 19 games I'd prefer to load manage minutes by having every starter (incl. Horford) sit out a game once in a while. In that case they'd still get used to playing 30-35 minutes a game, their stats don't collapse (players care about that, especially if it affects a chance to make All NBA) and you can play your bench guys meaningful minutes.

You're not going to learn much if you play a starter 5 minutes less and give them to a bench guy to show what's got in those few minutes. However if you give two starters rest that opens up like 65 minutes. You can upgrade your rotation guys from 20 to 30 minutes and you can give a bench guy like 25 minutes to prove himself.