A look at the highs and lows across the Celtics roster after the month of November in our December edition of the Celtics player power rankings.
Not ranked: Gordon Hayward -- Just four games in November before suffering his broken hand takes him out of the running.
16. Tacko Fall (Previous: 16): The rookie center was putting up some impressive numbers in Maine before suffering a knee sprain last week. He is expected to miss 1-2 weeks with the injury before returning to get more extended reps with the Red Claws.
15. Romeo Langford (Previous: 14): The Indiana product has fully recovered from a sprained ankle that kept him sidelined for the past couple weeks. With the Celtics getting healthier, they have assigned him again to the Red Claws so he can get more playing time. While it is looking more and more like this will be a ‘redshirt’ season for him as far as the NBA level, that probably was always part of the plan for the 19-year-old. Not ideal for a lottery pick, but it’s a reality of the wing depth chart at the moment.
14. Vincent Poirier (Previous: 13): The Frenchman has just played once since November 13th as he sits a distant fourth (or even fifth) on the center depth chart behind both of the Williams boys, Enes Kanter and Daniel Theis. He may get another chance at some point this season if injuries hit but otherwise, he’s going to be stuck at the end of the bench until further notice. If the C’s also bring aboard an upgrade via trade or free agency, he’s an easy candidate to go.
13. Tremont Waters (Previous: 17): It was quite the week for the second-round pick who went from Maine to 19 critical minutes in his Celtics debut in the backcourt. The strong play of Brad Wanamaker along with the pending return of Gordon Hayward will limit his opportunities for the present but there is a lot to be optimistic about for the long-term as the undersized point develops in Maine on a two-way.
12. Javonte Green (Previous: 15): After a strong start upon joining the rotation when Gordon Hayward went down, he’s slowly been pushed back towards the bottom of the depth chart. He hasn’t played over nine minutes since Nov. 11 and has received a pair of DNP-CDs as the bench unit has gotten healthier. A lack of a jump shot and subpar defensive awareness has cost him consistent time even though he’s still shooting 55 percent from the field.
11. Carsen Edwards (Previous: 10): A superb start to his preseason has vanished almost entirely after a month and a half of regular season play. Edwards is now 23-of-73 (31.5%) from the field this season and just 14-of-43 from 3-point range. Beyond a couple of hot shooting nights against Washington and Cleveland, he’s knocking down just 20 percent of his shots from the field. With a net rating (-9) at the bottom of the roster, Edwards is running out of time to prove he deserves rotation minutes.
10. Grant Williams (Previous: 6): The rookie offensive struggles have continued with the power forward who is now just 12-of-49 (24.5%) from the field, including 0-of-21 from 3-point range. He has still managed to be a net positive for the C’s with his work on the defensive end but his playing time has started to diminish lately with his offensive slump lasting through November. He could be leading the bench big depth chart if his shots ever start following but until it does, he’s only getting select minutes for certain matchups.
9. Semi Ojeleye (Previous: 11): It was a solid individual month for Ojeleye, who managed to knock down 34.5 percent of his 3-point attempts, a respectable amount given his career woes in that area. That production has helped him steal some of his minutes back from Grant Williams, although his lack of contributions in other facets of the game (1.4 rpg, 0.3 apg) have made him an underwhelming piece for the C’s offense. However, after playing 16+ minutes in six of the last seven games, he looks solidified in the rotation until the return of Hayward.
8. Robert Williams (Previous: 8): The individual numbers remain stellar for the big man who is knocking down 73.8 percent of his shots through six games, while piling up nearly three steals and three blocks per 36 minutes of action. The problem? He’s only attempting 6.6 shots per 36 minutes and Boston’s defense has generally been a mess when he’s on the floor. The C’s defensive rating is nearly 10 points worse when he’s on the court and a lot of that drop-off has come due to his miscues. He needs to get more consistent with his play on that end to carve out a bigger role for himself.
7. Enes Kanter (Previous: 6): The Celtics’ training staff has babied him back into the lineup this month and it’s paid off as he’s been highly efficient (7.0 points, 6.0 rebounds) in just 15 minutes per game. The defensive limitations still are glaring, particularly against stretch bigs or strong drivers but Kanter’s rebounding has outweighed those issues on most nights. He amazingly led the team in net rating (+15) during the month of November but that was with a limited sample size. Whether he can maintain the positive impact during December with a tougher schedule is the question.
6. Brad Wanamaker (Previous: 12): It’s hard to find a bigger bargain around the league for the minimum than the reserve guard. After waiting patiently for his turn last season behind Terry Rozier, Wanamaker has hit the ground running as a new sixth man for Boston after Gordon Hayward went down. He’s averaging 9.1 ppg over just 20.5 minutes per game in November, with a scorching hot 51/42/89 shooting line. His turnover rate remains a bit high but he’s been a lethal force in transition and a settling influence on the C’s offense whenever he’s in the game with the second unit. He has also been incredibly consistent, scoring double-digit points in seven of his last 10 games. Even when Hayward comes back, it’s hard to see him losing many minutes.
5. Daniel Theis (Previous: 9): Boston’s defense has been at its best with the German big man on the floor in the month of November. The C’s are allowing just 97.1 points per 100 possessions (six points better than their season average) while also maintaining adequate offense with him on the floor. Theis has also been the best rebounder on the roster so far, grabbing nearly 13 per 36 minutes when he’s on the floor. The 3-point shot is a bit of a concern (12.5 percent on eight attempts) but he’s shown enough to be counted on as the most reliable piece in the middle two months into the season.
4. Marcus Smart (Previous: 5): What had been a stellar month of November at the start has gone a bit backward in the past two weeks as Smart’s 3-point shooting has come back down to earth in a hurry (10-of-46 in last seven games). He’s still shooting a respectable 33 percent from deep despite that slump and his minuscule turnover rate, playmaking, (4.9 assists per game) and defense have helped this team navigate the waters effectively despite Hayward’s injury. He’s going to need to lower his shot volume a bit when Hayward returns to the fold but that’s a role he has happily accepted with everyone healthy. For now, there’s a bit too much offensive onus on him.
3. Jayson Tatum (Previous: 3): The third-year forward remains the darling of the roster when it comes to plus/minus as his +11.3 net rating in November topped all of the C’s starters. He had an off-shooting month from 3-point range (31 percent) but still managed to average over 20 points per game, while scoring in double digits in every contest but one. That kind of consistency along with an improved ability to get to the charity stripe (4.2 attempts per game in November) show the seeds of an All-Star starting to bloom. He still needs to improve his efficiency due to the fact that he leads this team in usage, but the finishing at the rim continues to improve to help him shake out of his early slump in that department.
2. Jaylen Brown (Previous: 2): There have not been three 20-point scorers on one team in the NBA for the past three seasons, but Brown looks to be capable of joining Walker and Tatum in that mold after averaging 19.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg in November. He has snapped out of a funk from 3-point range with 37.5 percent accuracy from deep while maintaining elite level finishing in the paint. His ability to chip in nightly on the glass (second on the team in rebounds) has been a difference-maker when it comes to Brad Stevens’ ability to play small. Nearly all of his statistical categories for the month were on par or better than Tatum and while there’s no doubt that Tatum is the better player/has the higher ceiling right now, it’s evident that Brown is now back on a similar tier with his fellow forward. One month in, there is no buyer’s remorse for that extension he got, that’s for sure.
1. Kemba Walker (Previous: 1): The advanced metrics have been friendly to the All-Star point guard early on as he leads the C’s in win shares (2.0), a tribute to the consistency he’s shown early on. Walker remains one of the best high volume 3-point shooters in the NBA, knocking down 39 percent of his 3s despite taking the most on the team (8.9 per game). His lights-out shooting from the free-throw line (91.7 percent on 4.9 attempts per game) has also helped to keep Boston’s offense in the top-10 of the NBA despite a high volume of injuries. With his finishing at the rim (62.3 percent) trending better than ever during his career, there’s not much to complain about with the new addition, beyond getting his mid-range shooting back to his career averages.
NBA News and Notes
- Gordon Hayward remains with the team on this current road trip and expects to get an update on his status next week as he aims to beat the six-week recovery timetable from his hand surgery. “He’s able to do non-contact drills," Stevens told reporters at practice Saturday. “And he’ll have another meeting on Monday over FaceTime with his doctor to look at the healing process, discuss what’s next, and then we’ll know more from there.”
- Ja Morant is currently week-to-week with back spasms for the Grizzlies, something that could drop Memphis closer to the NBA cellar (and keeping their draft pick). They have already lost six straight games and are 5-13 overall.
- Fun to see the Carmelo Anthony experiment having some success in Portland so far, albeit against inferior opponents. Anthony is averaging 17.7 PPG as Portland has put together three straight wins.
