C's Will Feature More Traditional Play from Centers

[Surferdad]

...“It’s different than we’ve played in the past, but that’s OK,” Brad Stevens said of the offense Friday afternoon. “Every year you tweak a little; this year, I would say offensively we tweaked more.”

Such is due to the departures of Al Horford and Aron Baynes, who combined to attempt 264 3-pointers last season alone. This year’s rotation of centers, which features Enes Kanter, Daniel Theis, Robert Williams and Vincent Poirier, attempted a total of 161 professional 3-pointers during their last two seasons combined.

Theis, who was the third center behind Horford and Baynes for each of the last two seasons, accounted for 125 of those attempts, but you can expect to see his 3-point field goals to decrease as well.

Rather than have Theis operate as the only 3-point threat at the center position, Stevens would prefer all of his bigs play the same way. They will all be tasked with putting pressure on the interior of defenses, whereas last season, they were all tasked with spacing the floor.

“With the exception of posting Kanter, which I think you’ve got to do some because he’s obviously very good down there, these guys really play the same,” said Stevens. “You can be consistent with your style all the way through a game.”...
https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/prac-100419-offensive-tweaks-cs-offense-will-feature-more-traditional-play-from-centers?sf220853404=1&fbclid=IwAR2wilaN5JGvfcX76f6dcqFVxteb3t2ryRtgtcrYG-PUhsQ0bi9GM18dH2M

[tenn_smoothie]

It would be a welcome change to see Stevens stressing interior offense instead of his obsession with Small-Ball most of the time.
Also would be a big plus to see a Celtic team that crashes the offensive boards.

[nickagneta]

It would be a welcome change to see Stevens stressing interior offense instead of his obsession with Small-Ball most of the time.
Also would be a big plus to see a Celtic team that crashes the offensive boards.

Nowhere in that article did anyone say the Celtics would be stressing interior offense. Nor did it say the team would be putting an emphasis on offensive rebounding.

Smart's comment said "with the exception of Kanter posting they all play the same" meaning only Kanter will be given chances to post down low. The rest play the same which will be pressuring on the interior instead of being outside to space.

That probably means setting lots of screens and being involved as roll men on pick and rolls with little else to do. Real simple stuff because most of the other guys(Williams, Pourier and Fall) really don't have much more offensive skill than to do those things.

[Somebody]

It would be a welcome change to see Stevens stressing interior offense instead of his obsession with Small-Ball most of the time.
Also would be a big plus to see a Celtic team that crashes the offensive boards.

Nowhere in that article did anyone say the Celtics would be stressing interior offense. Nor did it say the team would be putting an emphasis on offensive rebounding.

Smart's comment said "with the exception of Kanter posting they all play the same" meaning only Kanter will be given chances to post down low. The rest play the same which will be pressuring on the interior instead of being outside to space.

That probably means setting lots of screens and being involved as roll men on pick and rolls with little else to do. Real simple stuff because most of the other guys(Williams, Pourier and Fall) really don't have much more offensive skill than to do those things.

Poirier will be a monster as a roll man and so will be Tacko (in very limited minutes). Less sure about Williams though, I think he needs to put on some more muscle and mature a bit as a player. Excited about this change, we had a very static offense with our 5 out schemes last season where our players were playing tiddlywinks on the perimeter. Hopefully the gravity created by our roll men will collapse the defense and open up some angles for our perimeter players to attack.

[Somebody]

...“It’s different than we’ve played in the past, but that’s OK,” Brad Stevens said of the offense Friday afternoon. “Every year you tweak a little; this year, I would say offensively we tweaked more.”

Such is due to the departures of Al Horford and Aron Baynes, who combined to attempt 264 3-pointers last season alone. This year’s rotation of centers, which features Enes Kanter, Daniel Theis, Robert Williams and Vincent Poirier, attempted a total of 161 professional 3-pointers during their last two seasons combined.

Theis, who was the third center behind Horford and Baynes for each of the last two seasons, accounted for 125 of those attempts, but you can expect to see his 3-point field goals to decrease as well.

Rather than have Theis operate as the only 3-point threat at the center position, Stevens would prefer all of his bigs play the same way. They will all be tasked with putting pressure on the interior of defenses, whereas last season, they were all tasked with spacing the floor.

“With the exception of posting Kanter, which I think you’ve got to do some because he’s obviously very good down there, these guys really play the same,” said Stevens. “You can be consistent with your style all the way through a game.”...
https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/prac-100419-offensive-tweaks-cs-offense-will-feature-more-traditional-play-from-centers?sf220853404=1&fbclid=IwAR2wilaN5JGvfcX76f6dcqFVxteb3t2ryRtgtcrYG-PUhsQ0bi9GM18dH2M

Something off topic, but I really like how highlighting text on that site has a green colour

[RPGenerate]

It would be a welcome change to see Stevens stressing interior offense instead of his obsession with Small-Ball most of the time.
Also would be a big plus to see a Celtic team that crashes the offensive boards.

Nowhere in that article did anyone say the Celtics would be stressing interior offense. Nor did it say the team would be putting an emphasis on offensive rebounding.

Smart's comment said "with the exception of Kanter posting they all play the same" meaning only Kanter will be given chances to post down low. The rest play the same which will be pressuring on the interior instead of being outside to space.

That probably means setting lots of screens and being involved as roll men on pick and rolls with little else to do. Real simple stuff because most of the other guys(Williams, Pourier and Fall) really don't have much more offensive skill than to do those things.

Poirier will be a monster as a roll man and so will be Tacko (in very limited minutes). Less sure about Williams though, I think he needs to put on some more muscle and mature a bit as a player. Excited about this change, we had a very static offense with our 5 out schemes last season where our players were playing tiddlywinks on the perimeter. Hopefully the gravity created by our roll men will collapse the defense and open up some angles for our perimeter players to attack.

I'm sorry, but calling guys that haven't even played a minute of NBA basketball "monsters" at anything, is jumping the gun. These guys may not even be NBA players. We don't know. Only Kanter should have some touches down low.

[Somebody]

It would be a welcome change to see Stevens stressing interior offense instead of his obsession with Small-Ball most of the time.
Also would be a big plus to see a Celtic team that crashes the offensive boards.

Nowhere in that article did anyone say the Celtics would be stressing interior offense. Nor did it say the team would be putting an emphasis on offensive rebounding.

Smart's comment said "with the exception of Kanter posting they all play the same" meaning only Kanter will be given chances to post down low. The rest play the same which will be pressuring on the interior instead of being outside to space.

That probably means setting lots of screens and being involved as roll men on pick and rolls with little else to do. Real simple stuff because most of the other guys(Williams, Pourier and Fall) really don't have much more offensive skill than to do those things.

Poirier will be a monster as a roll man and so will be Tacko (in very limited minutes). Less sure about Williams though, I think he needs to put on some more muscle and mature a bit as a player. Excited about this change, we had a very static offense with our 5 out schemes last season where our players were playing tiddlywinks on the perimeter. Hopefully the gravity created by our roll men will collapse the defense and open up some angles for our perimeter players to attack.

I'm sorry, but calling guys that haven't even played a minute of NBA basketball "monsters" at anything, is jumping the gun. These guys may not even be NBA players. We don't know. Only Kanter should have some touches down low.

Poirier has been a top center in Europe and international competitions (yes he would've been a top center in FIBA if there wasn't an All-NBA center in Gobert playing for France), I don't think calling him a monster at what he does best is jumping the gun. I'll concur that I'm too optimistic on Tacko, but I don't see teams stopping him on a couple of PnR plays in very limited minutes with his massive size advantage.

[RPGenerate]

It would be a welcome change to see Stevens stressing interior offense instead of his obsession with Small-Ball most of the time.
Also would be a big plus to see a Celtic team that crashes the offensive boards.

Nowhere in that article did anyone say the Celtics would be stressing interior offense. Nor did it say the team would be putting an emphasis on offensive rebounding.

Smart's comment said "with the exception of Kanter posting they all play the same" meaning only Kanter will be given chances to post down low. The rest play the same which will be pressuring on the interior instead of being outside to space.

That probably means setting lots of screens and being involved as roll men on pick and rolls with little else to do. Real simple stuff because most of the other guys(Williams, Pourier and Fall) really don't have much more offensive skill than to do those things.

Poirier will be a monster as a roll man and so will be Tacko (in very limited minutes). Less sure about Williams though, I think he needs to put on some more muscle and mature a bit as a player. Excited about this change, we had a very static offense with our 5 out schemes last season where our players were playing tiddlywinks on the perimeter. Hopefully the gravity created by our roll men will collapse the defense and open up some angles for our perimeter players to attack.

I'm sorry, but calling guys that haven't even played a minute of NBA basketball "monsters" at anything, is jumping the gun. These guys may not even be NBA players. We don't know. Only Kanter should have some touches down low.

Poirier has been a top center in Europe and international competitions (yes he would've been a top center in FIBA if there wasn't an All-NBA center in Gobert playing for France), I don't think calling him a monster at what he does best is jumping the gun. I'll concur that I'm too optimistic on Tacko, but I don't see teams stopping him on a couple of PnR plays in very limited minutes with his massive size advantage.

International play means nothing to me until I see it translate to the NBA. There's a long list of players that were great internationally, and were nonexistent in the NBA. With Tacko, I need to see whether he can even play without getting run off the floor constantly, before we talk about him being able to score.

[Vermont Green]

To be honest, I am not sure what Stevens is saying.  He is not really saying anything other than that it will be different.  He mentions that they will "post" Kanter some and says the others will play "the same" but doesn't say how they will play.

My sense from this is Stevens is saying "holy cr@p, we don't have any good bigs and I am not sure what the heck we are going to do.  Kanter can play a little; Theis, Ojeleye, RWilliams, Poirier, Fall, and GWilliams are all "the same" meaning not that good.

I certainly don't think this means they are planning to run the offense through the low post.  I expect to see a lot of pick and roll with Kemba and Brown, Tatum, Hayward, all sitting in the corners waiting for a 3.

[Somebody]

It would be a welcome change to see Stevens stressing interior offense instead of his obsession with Small-Ball most of the time.
Also would be a big plus to see a Celtic team that crashes the offensive boards.

Nowhere in that article did anyone say the Celtics would be stressing interior offense. Nor did it say the team would be putting an emphasis on offensive rebounding.

Smart's comment said "with the exception of Kanter posting they all play the same" meaning only Kanter will be given chances to post down low. The rest play the same which will be pressuring on the interior instead of being outside to space.

That probably means setting lots of screens and being involved as roll men on pick and rolls with little else to do. Real simple stuff because most of the other guys(Williams, Pourier and Fall) really don't have much more offensive skill than to do those things.

Poirier will be a monster as a roll man and so will be Tacko (in very limited minutes). Less sure about Williams though, I think he needs to put on some more muscle and mature a bit as a player. Excited about this change, we had a very static offense with our 5 out schemes last season where our players were playing tiddlywinks on the perimeter. Hopefully the gravity created by our roll men will collapse the defense and open up some angles for our perimeter players to attack.

I'm sorry, but calling guys that haven't even played a minute of NBA basketball "monsters" at anything, is jumping the gun. These guys may not even be NBA players. We don't know. Only Kanter should have some touches down low.

Poirier has been a top center in Europe and international competitions (yes he would've been a top center in FIBA if there wasn't an All-NBA center in Gobert playing for France), I don't think calling him a monster at what he does best is jumping the gun. I'll concur that I'm too optimistic on Tacko, but I don't see teams stopping him on a couple of PnR plays in very limited minutes with his massive size advantage.

International play means nothing to me until I see it translate to the NBA. There's a long list of players that were great internationally, and were nonexistent in the NBA. With Tacko, I need to see whether he can even play without getting run off the floor constantly, before we talk about him being able to score.

True, especially with how good NBA players flop in international play . And like what happened at every stage of his career right?

[Surferdad]

To be honest, I am not sure what Stevens is saying.  He is not really saying anything other than that it will be different.  He mentions that they will "post" Kanter some and says the others will play "the same" but doesn't say how they will play.

My sense from this is Stevens is saying "holy cr@p, we don't have any good bigs and I am not sure what the heck we are going to do.  Kanter can play a little; Theis, Ojeleye, RWilliams, Poirier, Fall, and GWilliams are all "the same" meaning not that good.

I certainly don't think this means they are planning to run the offense through the low post.  I expect to see a lot of pick and roll with Kemba and Brown, Tatum, Hayward, all sitting in the corners waiting for a 3.

I don't think he was purposely trying to be vague.  He's saying that the team has no "stretch 5" like Horford or, for that matter, Baynes.  That kind of setup is just not going to be part of the offense.  Regarding Kanter, I think he's saying you can design plays for him but for no other 5 on the team.

[footey]

The Los Angeles Clippers don't have a decent center, yet they are odds on favorite to win the NBA title this season.

Let's take a chill pill on our lack of having a star center.  Al Horford was sweet, but far from perfect. I think the entire narrative of how much we are going to miss Al is a bit much.  The opportunities this will present, both for the other centers as well as the other position players, is what makes this stuff intriguing.  I expect unexpectedly positive things to occur.  For example, when Gordon, and later Kyrie went down with injury two seasons ago, the extra minutes available to other players became a positive.

[PAOBoston]

The team will look and play different this year. It will be interesting to see how they experiment/work it out. Over the past few years, I think one of the biggest complaints was when the jumpers/shooting went cold, the offense went out the door. There was no attacking of the paint by the wings and no safety valve down low presence that could at least buy you a foul and a couple of free throws. I'm not saying they are going back to 90s basketball but offense will be different from past years and I think that is a good thing.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

In fairness, Enes Kanter is the best low post big Stevens has ever coached at any level. Jared Sullinger is the second, but he isn't on the same level. Horford and Baynes were servicable if they got it on the block, but not great. After that, you are looking at players like Tyler Zeller, Brandon Wright, etc. who were soon out of the league after their tenure with the Cs.

Heck, Williams, Prorier, and even Fall (potentially) might be a few of the most effective low post bigs Stevens has coached.

I've always agreed with Stevens coaching style. If you can't dominate the low post, you shouldn't be clogging the lane. The NBA rules give advantages to quick, smaller guards, but you negate their effectiveness if you are in their way all the time. Horford, Baynes, Theis, Sully, Olynyk, Johnson, Zeller, etc. could put the ball in the basket some down low, but they couldn't break the defense or demand double teams through their postups. It's much better to build a scheme around players that can break a defense down and demand double teams or help. That's why he spread the court and gave the ball to Thomas and Irving. That creates the most pressure on the opposing defense.

Most teams still don't double the low post, but I could definitely see Stevens developing a part of the Cs offensive scheme around Kanter's unusual effectiveness inside. If he scores so efficiently that one defender cannot make it difficult on him and it starts breaking the integrity of the defense, the entire court will open up.

Still, watch the training camp videos on youtube. Many of them include the bigs taking corner and top-of-the-key threes. I was pleasantly surprised with Prorier and Williams stroke in the corner. Grant Williams looks like a 40% three point shooter. Kanter has a nice little compact motion that seems extremely effective.

If you think Stevens won't ask his bigs to shoot some, you are wrong. That opens the court for Tatum, Brown, Hayward, and Walker.

[footey]

In fairness, Enes Kanter is the best low post big Stevens has ever coached at any level. Jared Sullinger is the second, but he isn't on the same level. Horford and Baynes were servicable if they got it on the block, but not great. After that, you are looking at players like Tyler Zeller, Brandon Wright, etc. who were soon out of the league after their tenure with the Cs.

Heck, Williams, Prorier, and even Fall (potentially) might be a few of the most effective low post bigs Stevens has coached.

I've always agreed with Stevens coaching style. If you can't dominate the low post, you shouldn't be clogging the lane. The NBA rules give advantages to quick, smaller guards, but you negate their effectiveness if you are in their way all the time. Horford, Baynes, Theis, Sully, Olynyk, Johnson, Zeller, etc. could put the ball in the basket some down low, but they couldn't break the defense or demand double teams through their postups. It's much better to build a scheme around players that can break a defense down and demand double teams or help. That's why he spread the court and gave the ball to Thomas and Irving. That creates the most pressure on the opposing defense.

Most teams still don't double the low post, but I could definitely see Stevens developing a part of the Cs offensive scheme around Kanter's unusual effectiveness inside. If he scores so efficiently that one defender cannot make it difficult on him and it starts breaking the integrity of the defense, the entire court will open up.

Still, watch the training camp videos on youtube. Many of them include the bigs taking corner and top-of-the-key threes. I was pleasantly surprised with Prorier and Williams stroke in the corner. Grant Williams looks like a 40% three point shooter. Kanter has a nice little compact motion that seems extremely effective.

If you think Stevens won't ask his bigs to shoot some, you are wrong. That opens the court for Tatum, Brown, Hayward, and Walker.

I suspect that guys like Kanter, Poirier and R. Williams will take the 3 occasionally to keep the defenses honest when they play outside. Even a post up center will go out sometimes to do that. That is how Baynes' 3 point shot was used, particularly his first season with Boston.

Still shocked to see R Williams making 3 point shot.  That would be pretty awesome if he really developed one.