A look at how the entire roster stacks up against each other so far in the quarterly edition of the C’s player power rankings
Not ranked: Gordon Hayward.
14. Jabari Bird: He’s not an official member of the NBA roster since he’s on a two-way contract, but he deserves a mention here. Without him, the Celtics could have easily started the season 0-3 with a loss in Philadelphia during the first week of the season. He's also performed well in the G-League with the Maine Red Claws in his stints up North, averaging 24 ppg and 7 rpg.
13. Guerschon Yabusele: The “Dancing Bear” has turned into an early fan favorite because of his hustle, but still has a long way to go to earn the trust of Brad Stevens. The 21-year-old hasn’t played more than eight minutes in a game all year long despite a myriad of injuries to the rotation. He just doesn’t have the necessary NBA awareness on both ends yet to help this team. I’d expect him to get some more reps with the Maine Red Claws once Marcus Morris is healthy and Yabusele isn’t needed as much for depth purposes.
12. Abdel Nader: Perhaps the one disappointment of the season so far for the C’s? That might be too strong of a critique of the 24-year-old rookie who has garnered limited minutes. But he hasn’t shown a lot of the promise on the NBA-level just yet that made him the G-League Rookie of the Year last season. He's been a little too eager and aggressive to shoot the ball offensively, and quicker NBA wings have blown by him on a regular basis defensively as well. Stevens has given him a variety of opportunities with the bench unit, but he hasn’t taken advantage of any thus far.
11. Shane Larkin: The overall offensive numbers are ugly for the point guard (25 percent shooting from the field and 3-point range), but the Celtics still have to be very happy with what they’ve gotten out of him through a quarter of the season. Boston probably doesn’t win two games without him (at Philadelphia, vs. Charlotte), and he has been a positive defensive influence in a number of contests, providing full-court pressure on opposing point guards to help the C’s claw their way back into games. He’s never going to be an above-average offensive player for this team (he’s missed 14 of his last 15 shots), but he’s a nice change of pace player at the end of the bench, which is all you need from your third-string point guard. No matter what happens the rest of the year, Larkin will always have this highlight too.
10. Semi Ojeleye: Like Larkin, Ojeleye’s offense is a work in progress. He's been labeled as a 3-and-D player, but the 3 hasn’t been reliable yet. (He’s shooting just 26 percent from 3-point range over 20 games, despite hoisting 2.2 attempts per game.) But Stevens keeps rolling him out there for his defense, which has come as advertised. He has showcased great versatility for a rookie at defending wings and bigs, and he has been able to stick with guards in switches as well. He also played big minutes in a number of noteworthy wins (vs. Golden State, at Milwaukee, at Oklahoma City), a promising sign for second-round rookie being thrown into the fire. There’s plenty of room for improvement offensively, but the C’s have to be happy with his defense.
9. Daniel Theis: The German big man has been the victim of a crowded frontcourt and Stevens’ inclination to play small ball lately. However, he has had the biggest impact on the C’s this season among rookies not named Jayson Tatum. The 6-foot-9 forward has provided tremendous energy off the pine with his rebounding and defense, and hasn’t been afraid to finish on offense either (51 percent shooting). The turnovers have been a bit of an issue, but the C’s definitely found a nice addition at the veteran’s minimum for the next couple years with the experienced 25-year-old. The question moving forward is whether Stevens will be able to find minutes for him and Aron Baynes if both continue to come off the bench.
8. Terry Rozier: It’s been an up-and-down year overall for the 23-year-old guard, but the peaks have outweighed the valleys to this point. Despite an ugly slump for a couple weeks, Rozier has been a steady source of energy off the bench on a nightly basis, scoring in double digits in nine of his 21 games to post a 9.8 ppg average. The 6-foot-2 guard has been an improved defender as well, and he continues to stand out as the best undersized rebounding guard in the entire league, which has helped the Celtics turn defensive rebounding into a strength this year. The shooting inside the arc (37 percent) and shot selection has to get better as a whole, but that hasn’t overshadowed his overall impact.
7. Aron Baynes: The Celtics haven’t had a bruising center like Aron Baynes since the Shaquille O’Neal/Kendrick Perkins days. The Australian big man has rather pedestrian numbers (5.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and fouls too much, but he has made life a lot easier for Al Horford on a nightly basis with his rebounding and defense. Positionally, he contests at the rim as well as any true big in this league, and he’s a savvy player on both ends with his screening and physicality. He has been a great value for just over four million dollars this year.
6. Marcus Morris: We still haven’t seen the best of the 28-year-old forward, as he continues to remain limited minutes-wise with knee soreness that sidelined him for the first nine games of the regular season. His mobility isn’t where it needs to be just yet, but his defensive versatility has made him a terrific fit next to Al Horford and Jayson Tatum in the starting five. Morris has always been a reliable source of timely scoring (12.6 ppg) and 3-point shooting (36.8 percent) on a team that’s gone through regular lulls in both those areas. I thought he was a great return for Avery Bradley coming into the season, and his play has done nothing to suggest otherwise thus far. Keeping him healthy remains the priority for the long haul.
5. Marcus Smart: The shooting numbers remain at dangerously low levels through the first month-plus of the season (29 percent field-goal percentage overall, 25 percent 3-point range), but it’s hard to argue with the results when he’s on the floor. The point guard is in seven of Boston’s nine most used lineups, and the C’s have a net rating of at least plus-12 in all of them. He has slowed down top scorers on a nightly basis, making life easier for Kyrie Irving on both ends of the floor, and his playmaking has improved as well (career-high assist rate). If and when the shooting ever does improve, Smart will be the complete package.
4. Jayson Tatum: The 19-year-old will have some stiff competition for Rookie of the Year, but he’s making a hell of a case for himself given his impact for a team on pace for 60-plus wins. The No. 3 overall pick is averaging 13.9 ppg despite taking fewer than ten shots a night. He ranks No. 7 in the league in 3-point shooting (47 percent) and leads the Celtics in true shooting percentage and free throw rate. Having him No. 4 on this list seems low, but that’s just a tribute to how well the rest of this group is playing.
3. Jaylen Brown: The second-year jump by the 21-year-old has been one of the biggest developments of the season for the Celtics. Brown had a huge opportunity handed to him after the team traded away Avery Bradley, and he has run with it at the starting shooting guard spot. Defensively, he has improved from both an awareness and a skill standpoint, using his athleticism to contest shots well while also drastically reducing the number of mental miscues/miscommunications that occurred during his rookie year. Offensively, his perimeter shooting has given the C’s a reliable second option in wake of the Hayward injury. His finishing around the rim needs work, but his 3-point shooting (41 percent) has made him a far tougher cover for opposing defenses.
2. Al Horford: The veteran big man held the top spot for much of the first month of the season, but a little bit of an offensive slump in the last couple games, combined with standout play from Kyrie Irving, knocks him down to No. 2. Horford is still having an All-Star season on a variety of fronts, including a career-high mark from 3-point range and his best defensive rebounding rate since his mid 20s. The 31-year-old looks liberated in his second year in Stevens’ system and the presence of some defensive big men behind him in Baynes and Theis have allowed him to be a far more versatile weapon on that front who has to take less of a nightly pounding down low.
1. Kyrie Irving: The Celtics thought there was a lot of potential to unlock in the 25-year-old point guard when they traded for him this summer. Through 21 games, they look right on that front. Irving leads the team in win shares (3.4), is giving great effort on both sides of the floor for the first time in his career, and is shooting a career-best 48 percent from the field despite taking 17 shots per game. He has also had some of the best clutch stats in the NBA down the stretch of games, effortlessly taking control when the C’s need him to.
Other nuggets around the NBA
- The Celtics won't have to worry about the Wizards making a push for a top spot in the East anytime soon since John Wall will be sidelined for at least the next two weeks with left knee inflammation.
- The Clippers finally managed to squeak out a couple wins in the last week but it's tough to envision them getting back into the Western Conference playoff mix after Patrick Beverley underwent knee surgery that ended his season this week. Doc Rivers continues to have his work cut out for him to keep his job for the year.
- Derrick Rose being away from the Cavs for the foreseeable future may actually be a blessing in disguise for them. He's been underwhelming on both ends of the floor thus far and the Cavs have certainly benefitted from his absence. Hopefully the veteran point guard gets the help he needs off the floor.
- David Lee retired from the NBA officially this week. One of the few guys that didn't work in Stevens' system a couple years back, but that was because he was out of shape.