Elite traits

[Maurice98]

I realized that a lot of people and Celtics fans keep saying that none of our players are elite and this is absolutely true. However, most of our players possess an/or more elite traits.

Avery Bradley:Elite quickness - He's one of the fastest 2 guards in the league it's just that he doesn't take advantage of it because he doesn't slash to the basket enough.

Jae Crowder:Elite intangibles - This dude works as hard as anybody in our team and he's one of our best team players who is willing to play physical with anyone.

RJ Hunter*:Elite shooter and IQ - Can shoot from anywhere in the court with a hand on his face and he's a coach's son so his feel for the game is excellent.

Jonas Jerebko:Elite fit in Stevens' system - He can shoot from deep, plays solid D, understand his role, brings energy off the bench, can rebound and he's versatile (he's a 3/4).

Amir Johnson:Elite screener - The best we've had since KG, he can be great for our guards as they'll have more space to create.

Perry Jones III:Elite athleticism - Can guard 1-5 effectively, moves like a guard, height and length of a center, 41.5" vertical and KD & Harden called him the best athlete in the league. Too bad he might be cut.

David Lee:Elite finisher - 61.4% from less than 5ft so he will be perfect for the Pick and Roll with IT4.

Jordan Mickey*:Elite shot blocker - Led the nation in blocks per game and he can block it in different ways.

Kelly Olynyk:Elite 3pt shooter for a 7ft - When this dude is aggressive, he can shoot lights out and 35% from 3 for a 7 footer is quite impressive.

Terry Rozier*:Elite first step,elite rebounder for position and elite fire - His first step allowed him to drive past players in college and I expect that in the NBA, he can still beat people off the dribble. In the NCAA Tournament, he got a couple double-doubles and he's a guy that has a winner's mentality.

Marcus Smart:Elite competitor,elite leadership,elite defender,elite strength for his positions (PG and SG) - He competes with the best of them,SL leader as the team struggled without him in Summer League,he's vocal,he has "it" like the all time greats although not as talented as them, versatile on D,draws a lot of offensive fouls,get deflections,boxes out,defensive IQ is veteran-like,maybe the strongest PG in the league and very strong also for a SG.

Jared Sullinger:Elite lower boy strength - Tough to move around due to his lower body strength,gets deep position easily against weaker defenders and he uses that strength to grab boards sometimes even with one hand.

Isaiah Thomas:Elite at getting to the free throw line and elite PnR - This dude can get to the line with the best of them,even when he has a bad day from the field he can have 20+pts like we saw in the playoffs. Pick and Roll for Thomas is special as he allows him to create some space to get his own shot.

Evan Turner:Elite stat padder - He can get triple doubles at anytime and he was 3rd in the league with 3 behind Westbrook and Harden only. He can also get double doubles easily and he can play 3 positions effectively.

James Young:Elite upside - If he will improve his feel for the game and defense, he can be a player who has elite size for a 2 and good size for a 3 while being above average athletically and having a shooting touch.Those lazy eyes remind me too much of T-Mac (his idol).

Tyler Zeller:Elite FG% - He know his limitations so that he's very efficient with his shot. Can score from mid range, post and looks to runs the floor all the times to beat slower centers.

*based on college stats

What do you guys think, am I correct or wrong? Feel free to add anything else and I,surely,accept any feedback.

[walker834]

Nice.  I think you are correct. 

[MJohnnyboy]

To me, elite isn't the right word. Better than the next guy would be the way I'd put it, and I'd hold off on what elite skills the rookies possess because we have yet to see them play legitimate NBA action.

[D.o.s.]

also known as adjectives: A Primer.

I do think this is a good list of each player on our roster's 'Best' trait. TP for that.

[Maurice98]

Nice.  I think you are correct.

Appreciate it man 

[PhoSita]

What you've done here, more or less, is identify why these guys were drafted and / or have managed to stick around in the league.

Pretty much every NBA player does something "elite" in that sense.

I'd say the jury is very much still out on whether Young, Hunter, Rozier, and Mickey actually have any "elite" attributes that will let them stick around.  PJ3 has elite athleticism, but that's the only reason he's still on an NBA roster, and he may not be long for that.

[littleteapot]

When the C's play the Cavs, what's the first thing you think - "Oh !@#$ how do we deal with Lebron." We need a player like that. Obviously we don't need the absolute best player in the league but we need a player who throws conventional schemes and strategy out the window.

[Maurice98]

To me, elite isn't the right word. Better than the next guy would be the way I'd put it, and I'd hold off on what elite skills the rookies possess because we have yet to see them play legitimate NBA action.

True man. For rookies, I just specified their elite skills shown in college.

[walker834]

I think it's more than that.  Our players are that against nba competition.  We have a lot of supreme positives on this team.  Rozier is going to be a beast but I keep saying that.  I think his breakdown is good.  It's really up to Brad Stevens to utilize these guys.  Amir is going to help this team a lot.  So is David Lee.

[PhoSita]

When the C's play the Cavs, what's the first thing you think - "Oh !@#$ how do we deal with Lebron." We need a player like that. Obviously we don't need the absolute best player in the league but we need a player who throws conventional schemes and strategy out the window.

Right.  You need, first of all, to have guys (plural) who you can throw at players like LeBron in order to contain them or at least try to slow them down.

Then, you need at least one guy who changes the way the game is played, a guy who forces the other team to adjust the way they approach a game.