My Ideas About The Bench

[jr_3421]

I am a big Danny Ainge supporter but I have really been disappointed about how he has filled out the bench since we got the Big 3 in 2007.

I hate how Danny/Doc preach that they needs to have a cohesive bench unit when he rarely plays 5 subs at a time. My theory on how to create a bench is to get players who possess similar talents to the starters.

Our Starters and skill set

Rajon Rondo - Penatrates and distributes, cannot shoot
Ray Allen - Plays mostly off ball, shoots off screens
Paul Pierce - All around player
Kevin Garnett - Pick and pop, occasional post up
Jermaine O'neal - Sets picks hits shots when ppl leave him.

Our Bench and skill set

Keyon Dooling - spot up shooter, occasional drives to basket
Avery Bradley - spot up shooter who can't shoot (yet at least)
Marquis Daniels - Cutter, post up player, ballhandler
Brandon bass - Pick and pop, occasional post up
Greg Stiemsa - Sets picks and  hits shots when ppl leave him


Is it a coincidence that the bench players who have the most success are the ones who match up with what the starter does? i think our bench would be a lot more effective if Danny got players who fit Doc's system so we can plug in a bench player and not skip a beat on offense. Thoughts?

[Who]

I love having bench players who have a different skill-set to the player that plays in front of them.

Someone who can ask different questions of the opposition and give the coaching staff more flexibility in terms of lineups, matchups and styles of play.

So no, I wouldn't look to build a bench with similar skill-sets to the guys who play in front of them.

[Celtics4ever]

If we had one real post threat on both starters and bench it would help us spread the floor and stop people from crowding our shooters.

[jr_3421]

I love having bench players who have a different skill-set to the player that plays in front of them.

Someone who can ask different questions of the opposition and give the coaching staff more flexibility in terms of lineups, matchups and styles of play.

So no, I wouldn't look to build a bench with similar skill-sets to the guys who play in front of them.

I agree with this too. I am not talking about exact replicas but only in terms of basic skills. Bass for instance can stretch the defense with his jumper but also rebounds and has more athleticism. Marquis struggles because if the wing can't shoot  the offense boggs down.

[Neurotic Guy]

I love having bench players who have a different skill-set to the player that plays in front of them.

Someone who can ask different questions of the opposition and give the coaching staff more flexibility in terms of lineups, matchups and styles of play.

So no, I wouldn't look to build a bench with similar skill-sets to the guys who play in front of them.

I agree with this.   

I like the bench so far and expect to like it more with Pietrus, and as Wilcox get healthier.  I think the bench can be a strength, especially if the Stiemer continues to impress.

I think the big missing element on the team is size and agility/rebounding presence amongst the bigs.  Bass has been great but he can't dominate inside.  The thread that promoted getting Varejao intrigued me.  That is the kind of guy who could really improve the dynamics of this team.

[lightspeed5]

so would you say pietrus fits well behind ray allen? I think it would be perfect.

[Chris]

I love having bench players who have a different skill-set to the player that plays in front of them.

Someone who can ask different questions of the opposition and give the coaching staff more flexibility in terms of lineups, matchups and styles of play.

So no, I wouldn't look to build a bench with similar skill-sets to the guys who play in front of them.

Yeah, I agree.  I actually love the skillsets of the bench for the playoffs.  Once the playoffs come around, you are no longer going to see the bench out there as a unit, and there will be a lot more mixing and matching, which will really work with the versatile skillsets they have coming off the bench.

Unfortunately, the skillsets are not great for the compressed regular season, where they need to rely more on the bench.  I think it will get better as they get more practice, and they learn to fit together better though.