Jayson Tatum is clearly the very best, most impactful, and subsequently a very powerful participant on this Celtics staff. There isn’t a lot of an argument to be made towards that. He’s been an MVP candidate for a pair years now, and he’s solely getting higher and higher at asserting his physicality and creating alternatives for his teammates. He’s the clear focus of Boston’s offense as each a scorer and a facilitator, and when he places his thoughts to it, he’s a first-team degree all-NBA defender. Sure, I mentioned it.
However who’s the second most essential participant on the C’s?
Most individuals would say Jaylen Brown. He’s the second highest utilization participant on the staff, and he’s additionally the second main scorer. He leads the staff in drives and might be the very best participant on the staff at attending to the rim, which is efficacious for a staff that tends to depend on its three level capturing. When Tatum is off the court docket, the offense often runs by way of Brown. He’s proven an improved capacity this season – though I’m nonetheless VERY skeptical of it – to make the appropriate determination as soon as he will get into the paint; his help numbers are up from final yr and his turnover numbers are down. He’s additionally nonetheless the simplest transition participant on the C’s. Jaylen coming downhill will all the time be a scary sight for defenses – and that’s one thing that no one else on the staff has been capable of replicate.
He’s most likely the second greatest participant on the staff, however is he the second most essential participant? Positive, the Celtics covet Brown’s capacity to get to the ring and leak out on the break, however Jrue Vacation and Derrick White would be capable of slot into increased utilization roles and decide up a few of these duties if Jaylen weren’t on the staff, proper? It ought to be famous, too, that despite the fact that Jaylen is a really stable defender (and enhancing), he’s nonetheless the worst defender within the beginning 5 merely on account of how wonderful everybody else is. So, that aspect of the ground isn’t essentially the place he’s bringing distinctive worth.
We even have to begin worrying about Jaylen’s capturing. He’s solely hitting 33.5% of his catch and shoot threes, when he ought to most likely be capturing the very best of his profession attributable to who he’s enjoying with and the standard of pictures he’s getting. Jrue and Derrick are merely extra dependable as knock down shooters, and that can not be glossed over.
What’s so unimaginable is you can make a professional argument for 4 gamers (together with Jaylen Brown) to be the Celtics’ second most essential participant. I already made Brown’s case, so now I’ll make the others’.
Jrue Vacation’s case might be the hardest to make, however it nonetheless has some legs. Anytime the Celtics are going through a frightening matchup (Embiid and Giannis come to thoughts), Jrue is deployed as the first defender. His versatility on that finish, mixed along with his unimaginable capacity to hang-out offensive gamers regardless of the place they’re on the court docket, makes him Boston’s most essential defender by a large margin. Different guys have taken on bigger offensive roles with the intention to enable Jrue to totally concentrate on protection, and that has resulted in nearly no possessions off for Vacation – he performs his butt off all recreation. Offensively, he has been a great spot up shooter (43% on catch and shoot threes) and connector. He’s additionally leaned into crashing the glass (profession excessive in OREB). However truthfully, he’s most likely the least impactful offensive participant in Boston’s beginning 5, which is fairly weird to fathom. I imply, It’s frickin Jrue Vacation we’re speaking about.
The Derrick White case is an enchanting one as a result of he’s traditionally been considered a task participant and connector, so how may he probably be the second most essential participant on a championship-level staff? However White has taken a fairly important leap ahead this season, and it’s exhibiting within the numbers. His factors, assists, rebounds, steals, blocks, subject purpose proportion, and three level proportion are all up from final yr. He additionally has the very best web ranking on the staff. By way of what the staff wants in a secondary playmaker or ball handler, White is ideal; he’s a superb shooter, he makes fast, sensible selections, and he can punish weaker defenders on the cup. Moreover, anytime his utilization rises (like within the recreation towards Sacramento the place Tatum was out), he excels as a main offensive creator within the decide and roll, so it’s very clear that he may tackle a bigger position if he had been requested to. The pull up, off the dribble threes are simply the newest entry into White’s bag and are an illustration of his fast development. He’s additionally half of the very best defensive backcourt within the NBA and possibly the very best display navigator within the league. He’s an integral a part of the staff, and he completely has a formidable case as Boston’s second most essential participant.
Kristaps Porzingis, although, has the very best case because the C’s second most essential participant. Boston seems so much totally different with out KP on the court docket, and that’s as a result of having him on the market opens up offensive alternatives for his teammates that statistics merely can’t illustrate. The house that he creates – on account of his peak, size, fast launch, and capturing accuracy – permits different gamers to assault the lane with out a shot blocker hanging out within the paint. Porzingis can also be the publish menace that these Tatum-era Celtics haven’t had. Boston went from a backside 10 publish up staff in frequency final yr (whereas solely scoring 1 level per possession) to the second greatest publish up staff within the NBA by each quantity and effectivity. Porzingis is the top of the snake in that regard, averaging a ridiculous 1.44 factors per publish up possession. However KP’s mere presence on the court docket has opened up publish ups for different gamers, too, as a result of there’s no huge man patrolling the paint to assist out when Kristaps is on the three level line. He not solely reinvented Boston’s offense this season, however he made it extra malleable and unpredictable. The significance of that can not be overstated.
He’s additionally been nice on the defensive finish. Kristaps is contesting the eighth most pictures on the rim in the whole league, and he’s received the very best defensive subject purpose proportion out of the highest 10 guys in rim makes an attempt defended. He’s fairly merely a very good rim protector; he’s received wonderful self-discipline and timing, and he actually is aware of how you can place his physique. Oh, and did you neglect that he’s completely huge? KP has additionally been wonderful as a drop decide and roll participant. Boston’s guards have been capable of struggle over screens and chase ball handlers from behind as a result of they know they’ll depend on Kristaps within the paint. That has turn into a staple of the Celtics’ protection.
Nevertheless it shakes out, It’s actually, actually shut. It could be KP on some nights, and it could be any of the opposite three on different nights. It simply isn’t remotely apparent who the second most essential participant on Boston is, and that’s what makes this staff particular – the highest finish depth is simply not one thing this league has seen, maybe ever. Cherish it, people. This beginning lineup is totally different.
