Celtics player power rankings: Robert Williams is on the rise

With two months of the NBA season in the books, there’s been some significant movement within the Celtics player power rankings as the C's have found their rhythm with eight wins over the last nine games. A look at how each roster player stands after an 18-11 start to the year.

14. Guerschon Yabusele (Previously: 13): Some incredibly bad luck for the second-year forward lands him in the bottom spot of this list. He played some of the best basketball of his NBA career a week back in Chicago before suffering an ugly ankle sprain that will sideline him for at least another few weeks. With other injuries piling up in the frontcourt during early December, this is the one chance that Yabusele could have had to earn some regular rotation minutes. Instead, he will have to work hard over the next few weeks to get back into basketball shape once he’s cleared to return to the floor. Look for a couple stints for him with the Maine Red Claws before we see him back with the big club.

13. Brad Wanamaker (14): The 28-year-old rookie's long wait for an opportunity at the NBA level finally paid off in the past week as he saw meaningful rotation minutes off the bench in wins against the Pelicans and Wizards. The 6-foot-5 guard acquitted himself better in those matchups than he had in the preseason, showing off a nice mix of 3-point shooting and finishing ability when opponents closed out on him. He also dished out four assists in just 18 minutes last week, giving Brad Stevens some added confidence that he can turn to him in a pinch. For a guy who might be viewed as expendable when the trade deadline approaches, he helped to boost his stock in the last month to stick around.

12. Semi Ojeleye (10): Like Wanamaker, Ojeleye had been pressed into a larger role by injuries but he failed to take advantage of his opportunities, particularly on the offensive end. The second-year forward continues to show far more aggression this season (11.1 attempts per 36 minutes is almost double his average from last year) but it’s not producing any added efficiency for the C’s from downtown. He’s shooting just 28 percent from beyond the arc and is a paltry 2-of-14 from 3-point range over the last four games, including an ugly 1-of-6 outing in Washington last week. Like some of his younger teammates, Ojeleye would probably be better served to show some more discretion with his outside shot.

11. Robert Williams (12): This feels too low for Timelord but that’s reflective of the depth of the roster more than anything else. The rookie center has continued to turn heads with his shot-blocking ability over the past couple weeks, as he now leads the NBA in block rate (minimum: 50 minutes played), by rejecting an absurd 15.4 percent of shots while he’s on the floor. That’s nearly twice as high as established shot blockers like Hassan Whiteside and Andre Drummond. He still is learning on the defensive end and has struggled with switches and slowing down dribble penetration, but he’s giving this team a skillset right now at center that Stevens hasn’t had in the middle for a long time. Offensively, he’s finishing great (70 percent) and not turning over the ball so the guess here is that Stevens will find chances for him even when Horford returns.

10. Daniel Theis (11): The 3-point shooting (41.7 percent) has been a big plus over the past couple of weeks as the German center has settled into the Celtics rotation. The one area of concern that has started up though is his fouling. He’s averaging a team-high 7.8 fouls per 36 minutes as NBA officials are treating him like a rookie most nights. The Celtics have seen a little slippage on defense in the past couple weeks and too much fouling is one of the main reasons why. If Theis can play smarter with his contests, he should get a chance to overtake Baynes in minutes played due to his improved offensive skillset. Not only is he making 3s, but he’s also a much better finisher than Baynes this year at the rim as well.

9. Aron Baynes: (9): It’s been a quiet few games for the big man returning from a sprained ankle as his role within the offense continues to diminish. He lost his starting job to Marcus Morris back in late-November, which helped to propel Boston’s eight-game winning streak and his minutes per game (14.8) are set to be the lowest of his career since 2013. Part of that is due to the team protecting him in all likelihood after early ankle and hamstring injuries, but there’s no question the competition knocking at his door is keeping those minutes down as well. Baynes will keep doing his thing as a rim protector and rebounder, but it’s important for him to get his 3-point shooting (32 percent) up if he wants to stay on the floor more.

8. Terry Rozier (8): The fourth-year guard has received a lot of grief this year amid his uncertain future in Boston but he’s been pretty close to exactly the same guy he was off the bench last year for the Celtics. His 3-point shooting is above-average, his finishing around the rim is subpar, and his positives (rebounding, low turnovers) have remained consistent. Any team would be happy to take his December production (9.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.0 apg) from a reserve guard on their roster. The only bad news from Boston’s perspective is that he really hasn’t done anything to improve his trade value, which further strengthens the case that he won’t be going anywhere this season (since the return would be underwhelming).

7. Jaylen Brown (6): A couple of disastrous outings after returning from flu-like symptoms over the weekend threatened to push the second-year guard down this list even further, but it shouldn’t overshadow the nice resurgence he’s had over the rest of December entirely. Brown is attacking the rim more than ever, finishing with far more consistency than the first month of the season while doubling his free throw attempts per game (3.4) in the month of December. He also scored in double digits over seven straight games last week, providing the kind of consistency that had been missing over Boston’s slow start. Some recognition of his role with this team has been established and he will need to build upon that in the coming weeks.

6. Gordon Hayward (7): While the former All-Star’s finishing ability is still a work in progress, his jump shot has returned to form over the past few weeks. Hayward is shooting 52 percent from 3-point range during the month of December and has hit 35 straight free throws dating back to mid-November. His assist and rebounding rates are very comparable to his career averages so the next big step in his recovery is finding some consistency at the rim. He’s hitting just 53 percent of his shots inside of three feet, which is a 17 percent drop from two years ago. The sooner he gets more comfortable in that area of the floor, the bigger nightmare the Celtics’ offense will eventually be for opponents.

5. Al Horford (4): The 32-year-old has missed seven of Boston’s last 11 games with a left knee injury, including five straight contests dating back to December 6th. The Celtics have impressively gone 6-1 in his absence though as the rest of this team has found its stride while Horford rests his knee from the sideline. The good news for Boston is that the big man played some of his best basketball of the year just before he was shut down, scoring 15-plus points in three straight games for the first time all year. He’s finally hitting the 3-ball again (50 percent in his last six games) as the explanation for his underwhelming start has finally been uncovered with the knee issue. He will return to practice on Tuesday to test out the knee but some reduced minutes and selective rest over the final 50-plus games will be the priority for the big man to ensure he’s at his best for the postseason.

4. Marcus Smart (5): The point guard’s offensive numbers remain as pedestrian as ever but his intangibles have provided a huge boost since entering the starting lineup on November 26. The 25-year-old rolled off a 25 assist/one turnover stretch spread out across five games to help propel the C’s into an eight-game winning streak. He’s been an absolute menace on the defensive end as well (three steals per game in December), taking the pressure off of Kyrie Irving while paired alongside him in the starting backcourt. Boston remains 8-1 with him in the starting five and it’s hard to envision him losing a grip on that spot anytime soon.

3. Marcus Morris (3): Nothing has changed about the hot start to the season for Morris in the month of December, beyond the addition of more minutes and a better supporting cast in the starting five. The Celtics have scored 120 points per 100 possessions over the last month when he’s on the floor, the best mark among all rotation players. Morris has taken advantage of the additional opportunity to shoot a career-high 43 percent from 3-point range and he also chipped in a major way on the glass with a team-high 5.4 defensive rebounds per game. A hefty payday awaits the veteran forward this summer if he can maintain this pace (16 ppg, 49 percent shooting).

2. Jayson Tatum (2): While some of Boston’s younger assets have taken hits to their stock over the first 30 games of the season, there has been no such regression for the 20-year-old forward. He’s shooting over 50 percent from the field over the last 13 games, providing a strong second option for Boston (17.6 ppg) next to Kyrie Irving on a nightly basis. With a career year for him taking shape on the glass as well (leads team in rebounding), along with improved shot selection in recent weeks, a potential All-Star appearance may be just a year away. With a strong January, he could make a push for a spot this season.

1. Kyrie Irving (1): A fully healthy knee has planted the seeds for what should easily be the best all-around season of the point guard’s career. His torrid campaign continued over the last month as he averaged 23.3 ppg and 7.1 apg while posting the best plus/minus on the entire roster. Boston’s offense continues to flounder whenever he’s not on the floor, while he’s on pace for the best rebounding and steals per game mark of his career. The one concern to watch for the All-Star? An inflated turnover rate due to some risky passing. If he cleans that up, a top-5 finish in the MVP voting wouldn’t be a stretch.