A potential cure for the C's recent offensive woes

The Celtics’ center position was always going to be a spot for experimentation this season given the fluid nature of the depth chart. Daniel Theis laid claim to the starting spot thanks to a strong preseason and an injury that sidelined Enes Kanter in the opener, flourishing early on as the C’s rolled out to a 10-1 start largely with Kanter watching on the bench.

However, as the C’s have fallen back to earth in the last few weeks without Gordon Hayward (5-4 in their last nine), the same has been true of the C’s with Daniel Theis on the floor. Out of all their centers, the C’s remain at their best defensively with Theis patrolling the paint, but the offense has stalled (102.0 points per 100 possessions) with him on the floor over the last 11 games. He isn’t taking 3s (12 percent from deep), isn’t finishing much around the rim, and that combined with Hayward’s absence has contributed to Boston’s offensive struggles a bit.

A more glaring issue at center has come a bit further down the roster however with Rob Williams. The second-year center excites the masses with his shot-blocking and dunk finishes but from a team perspective, there has not been a lot to like about this season when he’s playing. Since his breakout performance in San Antonio, the Celtics’ defense has actually been at its worst (112 points allowed per 100 possessions) when Williams is on the floor out of all the rotation regulars in 127 minutes. When you combine that with his subpar offensive capabilities, the C’s have a dreadful -13.7 net rating with Williams on the court over the past 11 games.

In contrast, Kanter has been a source of easy offense for the C’s with his rebounding and finishing around the basket. In the same stretch, while playing predominantly with the reserves, the Celtics have a 120.2 offensive rating (10 points above their season average) with Kanter on the court. And while Kanter’s defense is unquestionably a liability individually at times, the team has been 12 points better defensively than Williams (101.7 points allowed per 100 possessions) with Kanter on the court.

Playing time remains relatively limited for Kanter despite this success though. Here’s a breakdown of big minutes in the 11 games since he’s returned from injury.

Daniel Theis: 194 (+2.7 net rating)
Enes Kanter: 172 (+18.5 net rating)
Grant Williams: 170 (+9.9 net rating)
Robert Williams: 126 (-13.3 net rating)

Additionally, Brad Stevens has barely touched Kanter during crunch time due to defensive concerns as he’s played just two minutes of close late-game situations (within five points in the final five minutes all season). A look at who has received a share of those minutes at center.

Daniel Theis: 27
Rob Williams: 8
Grant Williams: 7
Enes Kanter: 2

Given the team’s success with Kanter on the court, it might be time to consider experimenting with him getting a bigger chunk of the center minutes to see if he can sustain his early success (albeit in a small sample size). However, he tells BSJ he is still feeling the effects of his opening night knee injury to a degree, which may explain the coaching staff limiting some of his workload.

“I think I am 80 or 90 (percent),” Kanter told BSJ. “If you miss that many games, it takes a while to get back into game shape. After practices, I'm trying to do some extra work to try to get into real game shape.”

While there are going to be certain matchups that Kanter can’t play late in games (i.e. guarding stretch fives or when he’s getting abused in the pick-and-roll), his plusses on the court (rebounding, free throws, efficiency) have outweighed the defensive minuses so far over the first 42 minutes of games. He has certainly been protected from facing off against tough covers but the risk vs. reward of giving some of his minutes to Rob Williams right now is not helping on the court.

While there is no question that Williams will be given time to play through growing pains, with the C’s struggling offensively right now (26th in NBA over the last nine games), it might be time to turn to a more reliable offensive source in that front. Hayward will help a lot when he does return but with tough opponents coming up (Miami, Denver, Indiana, Philadelphia) before his projected return, some attention is needed now to address the issue.

Kanter was brought here to score the ball and it’s time to get him more than 5.3 shots per game. His early production (7.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in just 16.4 minutes per game) warrants it. The starters are seeing plenty of success when teamed with Kanter on the court, but those minutes have been limited. It's time to push on that luck a bit more and maybe even give him a start here or there in the right matchup. Either way, it's worth finding out if those on-court numbers are sustainable in bigger minutes against tougher lineups.