NBA Notebook: Updating the Celtics player power rankings

With one month in the books during the NBA season, there’s been some significant movement within the Celtics player power rankings as the team struggles to find its footing. A look at how each roster player stands after an uneven 9-7 start to the year for the C's.

14. Brad Wanamaker (Previously: 12): The 28-year-old rookie came to Boston for a chance to show what he can do in the NBA and that door has been closed on the Celtics roster thus far. He’s played in just 23 minutes in four games thus far, as Brad Stevens has battled to find enough time for a deep backcourt in front of him on the depth chart. Boston’s shooting woes made me wonder whether he would get a shot at some meaningful minutes at some point but an underwhelming preseason did not have Wanamaker making a strong push for playing time. He’ll get more of a shot at some point, but it’s probably going to take an injury to the backcourt for it to happen consistently.

13. Guerschon Yabusele (13): The Celtics surprised a lot of people by picking up his 2019-20 player option last month, giving him $3.1 million in guaranteed money for next season on a payroll that’s deep into the luxury tax. Like Wanamaker, Yabusele is going to have to wait for an injury to get any kind of significant opportunity in 2018-19 but the limited returns with the power forward on the floor in 37 minutes (30 percent shooting) have not been great. He remains a candidate for salary filler if any trade is made this season for this group.

12. Robert Williams (14): He’s going to spend more of the foreseeable future in Maine instead of Boston, but there’s no denying the athleticism that has flashed in five appearances by Williams this year. He’s going to be a factor down the road on that end of the floor thanks to his shot-blocking instincts, especially on the perimeter while defending smaller players. He’s got to get down fundamentals on both ends in the meantime but Williams is ahead of where most thought he would be and has been called upon for more meaningful minutes than anyone expected at this stage of his rookie season.

11. Daniel Theis (10): This feels low for the center, but it’s more reflective of the fact that he missed several weeks with a foot injury before returning this past week. He played some of his best basketball in the game (Detroit) when he went down with the foot issue and the C’s are wisely babying his recovery here in hopes that this problem won’t linger throughout the rest of the season. With Al Horford looking at far less than his best over the first few weeks of the year, mixing in more Theis at center (while preserving Horford) might be the smart long-term play for C’s.

10. Semi Ojeleye (11): Another name who would be playing more regularly for almost any other team in the league. With Stevens set on playing nine guys most nights now, he’s appeared in just 10 games thus far, while playing meaningful roles during a couple wins against Milwaukee (season-high 10 points) and against Chicago. While his 3-point shooting remains iffy, the encouraging part of his offensive game so far is a 6-of-8 mark on two-point field goals. That’s a sharp jump from the 40 percent he hit on last year.

9. Aron Baynes (9): The center’s decrease in playing time (just 14 minutes per game) is the only thing keeping him so low on this list. He’s showed a lot of promising signs with his play in year two of Boston with a career-high in assist rate (14 percent) and a career-low in turnover rate. His finishing around the rim has been brutal (43 percent) but he’s hitting a respectable number of his 3s (34.6 percent) which has helped space the floor for Boston’s offense. Defenses can’t leave him alone and that should help him maintain a spot in the rotation even when not facing off against true bigs.

8. Terry Rozier (6): No one started off the season better through the preseason and first few games of the regular season but the 24-year-old guard has trailed off over the last few weeks as his 3-point shooting percentage (37.7 percent) has surpassed his field goal percentage from inside the arc 37.5 percent. Rozier’s issue has been mainly in the midrange. He’s taking 20 percent of his shots from 16-23 feet and knocking down just 16 percent of those, more than 20 percent below his average from last year. His rebounding and turnover rate has been outstanding as always but poor shot selection combined with ineffectiveness has led to a decline down these rankings.

7. Gordon Hayward (5): The former Jazz star won’t be in this spot for long, but it’s been a work in progress for the swingman as he ramps up his playing time and drops the minutes restriction. Stevens has probably played him more than he deserves on some nights, specifically if you look at his shooting numbers (31.4 percent from 3) and on/off woes (worst among the starters). He’s been able to maintain close to his career averages in rebound and assist rate, so it’s really Hayward’s adjustment to a dropoff in usage and figuring out his role that has been the biggest problem. This weekend should be a good step forward for him on that front.

6. Jaylen Brown (3-tie): Taking a step forward after a breakout year in 2017-18 would have been a tall ask for the third-year shooting guard. However, a serious step back has been evident thus far and that is a concerning trend for the 22-year-old. Brown is shooting career lows from the field (38.3 percent), 3-point range (29.1 percent) and the free throw line (64.5 percent). I guess the biggest issue that Brown needs to solve right now besides the shooting touch is the fact he’s maintained the same usage as last year, despite the returns of Hayward and Irving. Brown needs to be okay with being the fourth or fifth fiddle within the offense. The sooner he gets there, the better the C’s will be.

5. Marcus Smart (7): This feels a little high given his usual subpar shooting numbers to begin the year but he has the highest net rating out of any Celtic who has played over 300 minutes this season. Both the offense and defense are outpacing the team’s season averages when he’s on the court and that’s a tribute to his ability to do the little things on both ends of the court that this team needs right now. The other encouraging part of Smart’s season thus far is the decline in his usage rate (career-low 13 percent). Unlike Brown, he understands that his shooting contributions should consist of open 3s and drive and that awareness has helped the C’s when he’s on the floor.

4. Al Horford (2): The senior member of the Celtics roster has looked the part in 2018-19. He’s posting a career-low in a number of categories through 16 games, including FG percentage (45 percent) and defensive rebound rate (16 percent). With a 3-point shooting mark that has plummeted nearly 15 points below his career-high mark of 42 percent last season, it’s helped deflate a Celtics’ offense that is largely dependent on his spacing and ability to knock down open looks. While the offense has been sluggish, the most surprising part of Horford’s campaign to date? Boston’s defense is allowing five fewer points per 100 possessions when he's off the floor. That may be reflective of him playing solely the 5 now but it’s a pretty big dropoff from last season.

3. Marcus Morris (8): Before the year began, Morris was probably the most likely candidate to be traded as his playing time dwindled in a crowded wing rotation. Instead, the veteran has played some of the best basketball of his career in a crucial contract year. He’s among the league leaders in 3-point shooting (48 percent) and is settling far less for mid-range jumpers, which has helped the C’s offense score five more points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor. Without him, Stevens could be looking at a .500 mark to start this season, even if his defense has been lackluster at times against speedy opponents.

2. Jayson Tatum (3-tie): While he may have spent too much of his summer working on mid-range jumpers with Kobe Bryant, the 20-year-old is one of the few young players on this roster who has not taken a step back in year two. He’s become a clear-cut No. 2 option behind Irving on a nightly basis by averaging over 16 points per game and his 3-point shooting has risen to elite levels again (40 percent) after a slow start. The shot selection continues to be a work in progress but Tatum’s contributions in other facets of the game (rebounding, defensive versatility) has made him one of the most reliable options on a nightly basis for Stevens.

1. Kyrie Irving (1): It took a few games for him in the regular season to find his offensive rhythm, but the 26-year-old has arguably been the hottest scoring point guard in the NBA over the month of November averaging nearly 30 points per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field and the 3-point line. He’s carried the Celtics to wins from dire situations against the Suns and Raptors already and is on track for career-highs in several categories including FG percentage, 3-point percentage and steals per game.