Celtics Shooting %

[gar]

C's are playing some excellent ball; but not sure that all of it can be attributed to their ball movement or the number of weapons they have on the floor. Every starter and most of the bench players are shooting well above their career averages. How long can they keep it up? Let hope till #18.

[GreenEnvy]

20 games is a decent sample size to get an idea of what kind of team you have. Sometimes a bad team can go on a great 20-game run, or a great defensive team give up a lot of points over the same stretch.

This team, WITH Shaq, gets great ball movement and easy shots. I seriously believe Rondo and KG are the two best passers at their position, and Pierce may be as well (I know people love LBJ's assist numbers, but Pierce is the smarter, better passer IMO). Shaq is also one of the best passing centers.

They may not keep this pace (highest FG% in quite a number of years), but I don't know why they shouldn't stay atop the league.

Remember, although the starts may all be shooting at a very high clip, we are missing West and JO off the bench, who are significantly more efficient than Wafer and Erden.

This looks like the best offensive team we have had with the Big Three. They may not be the most physical/aggressive, but they are methodical and the smartest. Maybe it's Shaq. Maybe it's Lawrence Frank. Whatever the reason, I don't believe it is simply luck.

[guava_wrench]

When Perk comes back, we might trade off some shooting % for better defense. Though Perk himself might shoot a high percentage, he makes offense more difficult for others.

It has been really impressive.

I don't see us getting any worse at finishing open plays at the hoop, which we are getting a lot of.

Regarding passing, Ray is probably the only starter who isn't an above average passer for his position. Ray needs to stop with the bounce passes into the lane on baseline moves. He seems good for a TO per game on that same move.

[Bahku]

This is directly related to the fact that they are completely dominating in the paint and on defense, (getting a lot of fast-breaks), and a lot of that has to do with KG's re-emergence, Rondo's assist rate, Shaq, and Big Baby off the bench. Lovin' what's happening right now ... let's cross our fingers as far as injuries are concerned, cuz that's the only thing between us and number eighteen.

[Fafnir]

When Perk comes back, we might trade off some shooting % for better defense. Though Perk himself might shoot a high percentage, he makes offense more difficult for others.

Perhaps, I think Perkins biggest offensive flaw is turnovers. That will certainly hurt our offense, but not our shooting percentage.

It all depends on how well he comes back. Early last year before his knee started to bother him Perkins was finishing very well.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/perkike01/splits/2010/

[Bankshot]

Replace Perk with a hall of famer and it's really not a surprise that the offense is better.

[Celtics4ever]

Perk has bad hands.  He baubbles some of the passes that Shaq easily catches in traffic and finishes.  Perk would be a better finisher and rebounder with better hands.  Great defender but mediocre offense player at best.

I think Rondo is a great facilitator and helps our FG% with those assists.  We have good finishers at 4 spots; PP, RA, Shaq and KG.  Rondo shoots a very high FG% for a guard but its vastly inflated by layups.  Our offense sets people up to score well and we move the ball well both things help us immensely.

[greenpride32]

It's all about points in the paint; high percentage shots inside by KG Baby Shaq.  Even Pierce and Ray are taking it to the hole much more often.

[Greenbean]

When Perk comes back, we might trade off some shooting % for better defense. Though Perk himself might shoot a high percentage, he makes offense more difficult for others.

Perhaps, I think Perkins biggest offensive flaw is turnovers. That will certainly hurt our offense, but not our shooting percentage.

It all depends on how well he comes back. Early last year before his knee started to bother him Perkins was finishing very well.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/perkike01/splits/2010/

TP Faf. I forgot how well Perk was playing early on.

[xmuscularghandix]

Shaquille O’Neal right now is shooting a ridiculous .684 from the field. This off-season i was saying to my friend that i thought Shaq could be the first player to shoot 70% from the field for a season… he said i was crazy, but i had a feeling that he would only be shooting when he’s open and could dominate in stretches.

[Fafnir]

Rondo shoots a very high FG% for a guard but its vastly inflated by layups. 

A layup is the best shot in all of basketball.

KG's shooting percentage is equally inflated by lay ups, he hits about 42-45% of his jump shots. Lay ups are a good thing.

[pearljammer10]

Yes we are shooting a very high percent, but at the same time we fall into being a jump shooting team far too often. Fortunately we have been hitting those jumpers at a high rate, Im semi worried to see what happens when those shots stop falling.

This team, WITH Shaq, gets great ball movement and easy shots. I seriously believe Rondo and KG are the two best passers at their position, and Pierce may be as well (I know people love LBJ's assist numbers, but Pierce is the smarter, better passer IMO). Shaq is also one of the best passing centers.

And I agree with this statement. The only thing I have to point out is the Pierce argument. Pierce may be a good to great passer but to say he is a smart passer is not the case at all. His turnovers come from stupid plays where he either tries to force the ball through a space that it will never fit, or he gets stuck trapped and tries to make an impossible pass.

[kozlodoev]

KG's shooting percentage is equally inflated by lay ups, he hits about 42-45% of his jump shots. Lay ups are a good thing.

Actually he hist 47% of his jump shots. A 42% jump shot rate is Rajon-Rondo territory.

[guava_wrench]

Perk has bad hands.  He baubbles some of the passes that Shaq easily catches in traffic and finishes.  Perk would be a better finisher and rebounder with better hands.  Great defender but mediocre offense player at best.

I think Rondo is a great facilitator and helps our FG% with those assists.  We have good finishers at 4 spots; PP, RA, Shaq and KG.  Rondo shoots a very high FG% for a guard but its vastly inflated by layups.  Our offense sets people up to score well and we move the ball well both things help us immensely.

His shooting percentage is not inflated by layups. Rather it is inflated by his refusal to take open jumpers that good offense demands he take. The team takes the hit on this with more TOs instead of him taking a personal hit in his FG%.

[guava_wrench]

When Perk comes back, we might trade off some shooting % for better defense. Though Perk himself might shoot a high percentage, he makes offense more difficult for others.

Perhaps, I think Perkins biggest offensive flaw is turnovers. That will certainly hurt our offense, but not our shooting percentage.

It all depends on how well he comes back. Early last year before his knee started to bother him Perkins was finishing very well.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/perkike01/splits/2010/

What percentage of Perk's turnovers are illegal screens? Not quite the same things.

He will hurt our shooting percentage because the man defending him can help more. That is very significant, since rondo's man can play off of him when Rondo doesn't have the ball, and Perk's man can also help more. That makes things tougher for the 3 shooters, KG, PP & Ray.

We will also lose all the lobs that Shaq is getting because Perk cannot convert lobs without bring the ball down and getting himself ready.