Celtics player power rankings: Plenty of competition for the top spot

A first look at the highs and lows across the Celtics roster after the first week of the regular season in our October edition of the Celtics player power rankings.

17. Tremont Waters: The point guard is the only Celtic yet to see action but that will change soon as Red Claws training camp opened up in Maine. They open up the season on Nov. 9, at which point Waters will start getting serious reps under the direction of Red Claws head coach Darren Erman.

16. Tacko Fall: With the Celtics frontcourt facing the injury bug, Fall managed to delight the Garden crowd on Saturday night with four points and two rebounds during garbage time of Boston’s win. He now leads the NBA in usage rate and is averaging 36 points per 36 minutes so it’s just a matter of time before he’s Boston starting center. In all seriousness, he’s headed to the G-League for reps likely for the rest of the season now unless injuries pop up.

15. Javonte Green: The 26-year-old rookie has managed to get into two of Boston’s first three games but he remains firmly out of the rotation behind a loaded C’s position at the wing. He will be waiting for a defensive opportunity at that spot when injuries pop up or foul trouble hits.

14. Romeo Langford: The 14th overall pick has been inactive for the first three games as he continues to recover from a sore knee. The plan for now according to one team source is for Langford to spend significant time getting reps in Maine once he does fully recover from the injury. Boston’s depth at the wing combined with a revamped shooting stroke makes the G-League the best path for meaningful experience for him this year.

13. Vincent Poirier: The French center made his Celtic debut on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden but was limited to just two points in six minutes of action. He’s a clear cut No. 4 at the depth chart at this point at the center spot and it was evident during his limited stint that he was still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game. He’ll eventually get his chance in the C’s rotation this year in all likelihood but the early development of Grant Williams as a strong center option off the bench will likely force him to wait a while longer.

12. Brad Wanamaker: The second-year guard got the first crack at reserve point guard minutes in the first two games but an underwhelming start on the offensive end had him relegated to crunch time minutes against the Knicks. The 29-year-old is savvy but his subpar athleticism makes him vulnerable to blocks at the rim. Brad Stevens will go back and forth with him and Carsen Edwards for bench guard minutes in the early going but there’s no denying that Edwards has the higher upside. Wanamaker is going to need to make jump shots like last year (44 percent from 3) to solidify a spot in the rotation.

11. Semi Ojeleye: Just two points in three games kind of spells out the story with Ojeleye’s career to this point or at least what’s kept from becoming a fixture in Brad Stevens’ rotation. The good news is that he isn’t misfiring (just two field-goal attempts) but the fact that the C’s bench doesn’t have a lot of reliable scoring options and spacers makes it tough to justify keeping him on the floor for longer stretches. A well-rounded power forward like Grant Williams has added more to the table in one week. Ojeleye will keep seeing spot minutes due to his defense and familiarity with the system but the team had to be hoping his hard work translated more than this in year three.

10. Carsen Edwards: The rookie made first DNP-CD on Friday a quick afterthought after scoring a career-high 10 points off the bench in the win over the Knicks. There’s no question that the Purdue product is going to be a bit of a rollercoaster ride when it comes to his shooting accuracy (just 25 percent from the field over two games) but he showed off some encouraging vision and ball pressure against the Knicks (three assists, two steals), a positive sign for his all-around play. He’s going to have to show more discipline with shot selection if he doesn’t find his rhythm right away but his gravity against defenses is already evident. That makes him an important spacer.

9. Daniel Theis: The German center has yet to hit a field goal attempt in two games but we will cut him some slack after playing through a sprained ankle on Friday night. The injury bug has plagued him throughout the past two seasons so an extended rest after Saturday should hopefully keep him ready for the Bucks on Wednesday. Brad Stevens has held a quick leash on the 27-year-old against some bad matchups in the first two games (just 12.4 minutes per game) so Theis will have for an extended rule against some teams that going smaller at center.

8. Robert Williams: It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the 22-year-old who saw his first start of the season against the Knicks on Saturday night. The box score production is terrific early on as Williams is knocking down 70 percent of his shots while chipping in a number of different areas (5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks) in limited playing time (15.7 minutes per game). The challenge now for the second-year center is finding some consistency on the defensive end. His pick-and-roll positioning on defense has been spotty at best, leading to open layups and plenty of fouls (3.7 per game). This team has leaned on defense for its wins so far so they need to have someone reliable on the backline to keep them in games. The better Williams gets on that front, the better chance he has to play bigger minutes.

7. Enes Kanter: A knee injury spoiled a solid debut for the veteran big man who tallied 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in a head-to-head matchup against Joel Embiid in the opener. The more encouraging news for Boston, however, was his individual defense against Embiid in the post, which proved to be respectable and allowed them to leave him in single coverage in spurts. His absence in the last two games may have opened up the door for Grant Williams to steal some of his center minutes but the C’s are certainly in desperate need of his defensive rebounding (26th through three games) once he returns to the court.

6. Grant Williams: The shooting numbers may not be pretty but the No. 22 overall pick leads the C’s in on-off differential (plus-20 per 100 possessions) just three games into the season. That’s a very small sample size but the eye test matches the numbers in this case as Williams has been a focal part of comeback wins against the Knicks and Raptors last weekend while playing small-ball center. Williams has proven to be a smart positional defender with underrated rim protection and has managed to use his strength for good on the offensive end with his offensive rebounding and solid screens. The bench big spot was the biggest question mark heading into this season and this rookie has earned steady minutes for himself out of the gate with his reliable play.

5. Marcus Smart: Seventy percent of Smart’s field goal attempts have gone from 3-point range thus far. That’s the type of shot selection the C’s would like to see from the reserve guard, although the accuracy (26 percent) has been lackluster in the early going. Despite the early off shooting nights, Smart has been a positive on the offensive end thanks to his passing (team-high 5.0 assists per game) and ball-handling (just 0.7 turnovers per game). He has settled nicely back into a sixth-man role after a year in the starting five and now just needs to prove his shooting spike last year wasn’t a fluke.

4. Gordon Hayward: This could be potentially a low spot for the former All-Star since his numbers out of the gate (16.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists) are quite encouraging. Still, a lot of that production came in the garbage time stages of the season-opening loss to the Sixers. That’s not a knock at all against Hayward however, who has been efficient (45.9 percent shooting) in the early going compared to last season and is second on the team in free throw attempts per game (4.3) thus far. He needs to trim his turnovers (team-high 2.7 per game) but the signs of progress from the preseason have carried over thus far.

3. Jayson Tatum: A woeful shooting start (34 percent from the field) has been offset by improved overall shot selection by the third-year forward who is now second on the team in 3-point attempts per game (7.3). His finishing at the rim has been subpar early but the fact that he is getting there is an encouraging development that the C’s can build on. The trend has also continued early on with the C’s being at their best with Tatum on the floor (+9.3 net rating) as the 6-foot-9 forward has been stellar on the rebounding (9.3) and steal (2.7) front while playing small-ball four. The 21-year-old still struggles in matchups chasing around quicker guards but the totality of his game is in a far better place early compared to last season. As long as he can improve upon his efficiency in the wake of his increased shot volume (20.3 points on 20.3 FG attempts) the C’s have the makings of a top-tier scorer in the East.

2. Jaylen Brown: Despite opening the year as a question mark from the perimeter (28 percent from 3-point range), Brown has maximized his opportunities in the early going. He’s shooting a team-best 50 percent from the field out of wings and guards despite the slow start from 3-point range while tallying 17.3 points in just 28 minutes per game. The fourth-year forward has also committed to the glass after taking on stretch fours, grabbing 22.4 percent of available rebounds, second on the team after Robert Williams. The C’s defensive rating (97.8) has been stellar with him on the court, a tribute to him taking on the challenges of bigger players like Pascal Siakam and Julius Randle head-on. His play with Team USA this summer showed him off to be one of the more versatile weapons on this roster and he’s living up to that potential in the early going.

1. Kemba Walker: The point guard couldn’t have opened his Celtic career in tougher fashion on the offensive end over his first six quarters. However, the All-Star found his rhythm in time to lead comebacks against the Raptors and Knicks in impressive fashion over the weekend. Beyond the fact that his season percentages have already leveled up to his career averages (40/38/83) despite his slow start, Walker has showed off valuable defensive instincts in his opening three games as he’s taken a lighter offensive load. He leads the team in four charges drawn and his ball pressure has helped the C’s produce the highest turnover rate in the NBA after the opening week of the season. This type of two-way commitment from a star player came and went during his predecessor’s tenure but Walker’s track record indicates that he should be far more reliable from an effort standpoint as he gains more comfort in the C’s system.