"6. A funky Boston trio
With Jaylen Brown starting and Avery Bradley out, Brad Stevens' rejiggered rotation occasionally lands on lineups featuring Brown, Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko -- a funky small-ball trio that works better than you'd think.
It's rare to find a smallish lineup in which all three wings can credibly defend any position from shooting guard to power forward. All three of these dudes are stout and tough, and they can handle all but the most bruising power forwards in a pinch. Jerebko doesn't quite have the quicks to patrol little speedsters, but he's cagey enough to hang with them for a few seconds as the shot clock ticks down.
Boston is a whopping plus-32 in the 85 minutes these guys have shared the floor, per NBA.com. Brown looks shockingly comfortable as a starter -- a violent slasher with a mean-spirited, butt-first post game to deploy against smaller defenders. He is playing with more control than he showed during a wild first few months. Crowder is quietly shooting almost 42 percent from deep, and Jerebko makes the right play every time.
Stevens will have to stretch to find this group time once Bradley gets back, but it might be worth it."
Topic: Number 6 on Zach Lowe's 10 Things--Props to Celts Small Ball Lineup (Read 550 times)