Who Can the Celts Rely On?

[PhoSita]

The Celts lack stars.  We all know that.  The team won't truly be relevant on a national level, or pose a real threat to go deep in the playoffs, until that changes.  Nothing new on that front.

Because of that, in my mind, the point of this season is to figure out which of the guys on this team can be relied on for the future, and which cannot.  When the Celts finally get those stars, who can we put in the rotation around them?  Last season ultimately was used primarily for that purpose, as well.  I think this has been talked about in the past as figuring out "Who's on the bus."


In a nutshell, which of these guys would we feel comfortable turning to for significant minutes in a big game?  Who can we put in the game and be sure they'll produce, without hurting the team, so long as they get minutes and play the role that suits them?

Here's how I see it.


Guards: Smart, Thomas, Bradley

Wings: Crowder

Swings: Jerebko

Bigs: Amir


Too soon to tell: Rozier, Hunter, Young, Mickey


I italicized Amir and Jerebko because it's not clear they'll be here beyond this season.


As for the others:

Sully --

Still not sure about him. He's producing well so far this season, but the question always remains if he can stay healthy at his weight.  I think he's probably reliable so long as he only plays 20-24 minutes a night.  Otherwise he gets winded and breaks down over time.

Olynyk --

He's just not consistent enough for me to trust him yet.  Some nights he looks great, other nights he struggles to get involved.  He does a lot of little things to help the team, and he's improved a lot defensively.  Still, I need to see him help the team on the boards, by being a playmaker, or by spacing the floor, on a much more consistent basis.  Never know what you're getting from him on any given night right now.

Zeller --

Last year he was one of the most consistent guys on the team, and I still think if he's given the right role -- i.e. rim runner in lineups with plenty of floor spacing, mostly playing against bench lineups -- he can thrive and will regularly put up points.  He's a solid backup C.  I lean toward putting him on my list, but he's had a tough start to this season and I'm concerned he's gonna disappear.

Lee --

Right now it looks like he can't finish well enough to provide a consistent scoring presence on the floor, and he doesn't do anything else at a high enough level to justify court time, given his defensive weaknesses.  Plus, he's not gonna be here after this season anyway.

Turner --

When he's having a good game, it's fun to watch.  He's got a mid-range game we haven't seen since Pierce left.  But when he's out of control or his shot's not falling, he turns the offense into a mess, and a lot of guys who otherwise move and pass a lot end up just standing and watching instead.  The bad and mediocre games are a lot more common than the good ones.

[littleteapot]

A wise man once said "you have 8 guys you use, 6 guys you rely on and only 3 that you actually trust."

[PhoSita]

A wise man once said "you have 8 guys you use, 6 guys you rely on and only 3 that you actually trust."

The Celts don't have anybody I "trust" in that sense.  I guess my point here is that the Celts can at least try to figure out the other 5 or 6 guys they can use / rely on.

Right now, you look at the roster and it seems pretty deep at every position besides small forward.  Yet, thinking about it this way, there aren't very many guys you can really depend on even in a role playing capacity, especially if you take away the guys on one year / non-guaranteed deals who might be gone after this season.

[KeepRondo]

IT4 has been playing like a star. If he keeps putting up similar numbers, he has to at least get consideration for the all star game.

[littleteapot]

A wise man once said "you have 8 guys you use, 6 guys you rely on and only 3 that you actually trust."

The Celts don't have anybody I "trust" in that sense.  I guess my point here is that the Celts can at least try to figure out the other 5 or 6 guys they can use / rely on.

Right now, you look at the roster and it seems pretty deep at every position besides small forward.  Yet, thinking about it this way, there aren't very many guys you can really depend on even in a role playing capacity, especially if you take away the guys on one year / non-guaranteed deals who might be gone after this season.

That's true.

I think Thomas can be trusted in a big game.

I think for the rest of the guys, it's about matchups - there are some guys who only Crowder can guard - if we play Lebron or Carmelo or someone, he has to play and we have to live with his deficiencies. With Zeller slumping right now, we have to play Amir against teams that can penetrate etc.

I'd also say we need to play Smart for long-term reasons - he's just such a big part of our future IMO and we need to ramp up his responsibility until he becomes at least a very good player, or we find out that he has a ceiling and can transition him into narrower role and focus on someone else.

[PhoSita]

I feel good relying on Isaiah Thomas to lead a strong bench unit and put up lots of points in that role, playing 24-28 minutes a game. 

I don't like the idea of relying on him as the best, or even second best, scoring option on the team, not in the context of a big game against a quality defensive opponent.  I just think it's too easy for better teams to make him struggle, especially teams with length. 

He's a really nice player, though.  A ton of fun to watch.

[Celtics4ever]

The Celts don't have anybody I "trust" in that sense. 

Me either, too much inconsistency on the rest of the team.

I think Thomas can be trusted in a big game.

Last playoff series we were in begs differently.

[Csfan1984]

CBS

[KeepRondo]

The Celts don't have anybody I "trust" in that sense. 

Me either, too much inconsistency on the rest of the team.

I think Thomas can be trusted in a big game.

Last playoff series we were in begs differently.

Yeah I don't understand the doubters. IT4 has played like a fringe all star since we got him.

[crimson_stallion]

Here's how I see it.


Guards: Smart, Thomas, Bradley

Wings: Crowder

Swings: Jerebko

Bigs: Amir


Too soon to tell: Rozier, Hunter, Young, Mickey


I italicized Amir and Jerebko because it's not clear they'll be here beyond this season.


As for the others:

Sully --

Still not sure about him. He's producing well so far this season, but the question always remains if he can stay healthy at his weight.  I think he's probably reliable so long as he only plays 20-24 minutes a night.  Otherwise he gets winded and breaks down over time.

Olynyk --

He's just not consistent enough for me to trust him yet.  Some nights he looks great, other nights he struggles to get involved.  He does a lot of little things to help the team, and he's improved a lot defensively.  Still, I need to see him help the team on the boards, by being a playmaker, or by spacing the floor, on a much more consistent basis.  Never know what you're getting from him on any given night right now.

Zeller --

Last year he was one of the most consistent guys on the team, and I still think if he's given the right role -- i.e. rim runner in lineups with plenty of floor spacing, mostly playing against bench lineups -- he can thrive and will regularly put up points.  He's a solid backup C.  I lean toward putting him on my list, but he's had a tough start to this season and I'm concerned he's gonna disappear.

Lee --

Right now it looks like he can't finish well enough to provide a consistent scoring presence on the floor, and he doesn't do anything else at a high enough level to justify court time, given his defensive weaknesses.  Plus, he's not gonna be here after this season anyway.

Turner --

When he's having a good game, it's fun to watch.  He's got a mid-range game we haven't seen since Pierce left.  But when he's out of control or his shot's not falling, he turns the offense into a mess, and a lot of guys who otherwise move and pass a lot end up just standing and watching instead.  The bad and mediocre games are a lot more common than the good ones.

All of this - spot on.  An excellent summary of the guys we have, IMO.

The only thing I would add is that Lee has rebounded pretty consistently well (averaging up around 10 rebounds per 36) but agree that his offense seems to be far too inconsistent thus far.

I'd also consider taking Crowder off the "dependable" list.  You can always depend on him to play with 100% effort and energy, no doubt about that.  But his defense seems very hit-and-miss (On-Ball D is great, but his Off Ball D can be atrocious at times), his shot is far too inconsistent, and he sometimes plays out of control and tries to do too much, rather than playing his role and within himself. 

To be honest, I'd probably put turner on the 'reliable' list.  I know he has his off games where he just frustrates you, but he's actually been relatively consistent since we got him I think.  He always seems to do something out there, and his defense seems to have improved dramatically.