With half of the Celtics’ season in the books, we took a closer look at each key player in the Celtics' rotation to find a surprising or telling number about their season so far.
+11.1 net rating for Jayson Tatum: The third-year forward has always ranked among the top Celtics when it comes to his plus/minus during his brief NBA career. His impact has risen to a different level this season however, as he has the fifth-best net rating in the entire NBA for a player that is averaging over 20 minutes per game and is not on the Bucks. The Celtics are a better team on both sides of the court when he is on the floor and that type of impact is a rarity for a guy who plays as many minutes as the 6-foot-9 forward. With his finishing numbers improving to the mean after a slow start and career-highs nearly across the board (rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, points, FTA) at the midseason checkpoint, the case only gets stronger for Tatum when it comes to the All-Star game when you look at his on floor impact.
15.9 rebounds per 36 minutes for Enes Kanter: The 6-foot-10 center has been one of the best rebounders in the NBA throughout his career, but he’s reaching new heights in Boston on that front. His 15.9 rebounds per 36 minutes is the highest mark of his career and put him atop the NBA in offensive rebounding rate for those playing over 10 minutes per game. Kanter’s consistency on this front has been very encouraging despite having the lowest usage of his career since his rookie season. The Celtics aren’t making much of an effort to get him the ball and have just asked him to crash the glass and it has enabled him to turn a former weakness into a strength for this group. The Celtics are a top-10 rebounding team on both ends of the floor and that is one of the biggest surprises of their 30-14 start. Kanter is only averaging 18.5 minutes per game but brings a skillset to the table that is tough for second units to combat in the paint.
37.5 percent shooting from 3-point range for Semi Ojeleye: Playing time is still a rollercoaster ride for the 6-foot-6 forward as Ojeleye is still averaging fewer minutes per game (14.5) than his rookie season in Boston. While his 2.7 points per game are nothing to write home about, the fact that he’s sustained a consistent 3-point shot (37.5 percent) for half the season so far has helped to force his way back into the rotation despite the presence of some tough competition in Grant Williams. Ojeleye is just a 33 percent 3-point shooter in his career and a subpar driver and finisher at the rim, making the 3-point shoot an essential part of his game. Over 62 percent of his shot attempts are coming from beyond the arc and he’s now hitting them at an acceptable clip to justify some regular minutes.
100.1 defensive rating for Celtics with Grant Williams on the floor: The rookie forward has had a few bumps in the road, especially when it comes to his outside shooting (0-of-25 to start). However, there is no denying his impact on the defensive end of the floor, particularly when he is playing his natural position at power forward. The Celtics allow just 100 points per 100 possessions with Williams on the floor and that’s the lowest number out of any player consistently in Brad Stevens’ rotation. Williams has done well in switch situations and is a sneaky rim protector despite his lack of size. His communication on the floor is also superb which makes him a lock for a long NBA career as a backline defender. There is no question there is still work to be done (closing out on shooters, over helping) to hone the defensive game but Williams has managed to provide good value despite producing lackluster offense so far. If that side of the floor continues to come around more, the C’s found themselves a steal at the end of the first round.
44.6 percent shooting for Kemba Walker: The adjustment to Boston couldn’t have gone much better for the All-Star point guard through 44 games, as Walker is shooting the ball better than ever despite taking more 3s than ever. His usage has taken a slight downturn, but the best part of Walker’s improved shooting has come with improved shot selection and spacing around the rim. With better teammates around him, Walker is shooting 67 percent at the rim, a 10 percent jump over his previous career-high. He still remains elite from midrange, so the fact that Walker’s benefitted so much by having defenses give more attention to his teammates has proved to make him a better player than anticipated when he signed. Combine that with 13 charges drawn (7th in NBA) and the C’s found a guy that is living up to every dollar of his max deal thus far.
19 games played by Robert Williams: One of the main disappointments of the Celtics this year has to be the lack of development for the second-year center. The C’s internally had very high hopes for Williams as the center of the future for this group, but it’s hard to envision him making much progress on that front in the final two months of the year as Brad Stevens balances chasing the two seed with giving Williams some minutes to get his feet wet once he’s cleared to play after the All-Star break. The problem from a long-term perspective now with Williams is going to be his durability first and foremost. He’s been riddled with injuries throughout his pro and college career now and it’s going to be tough for the C’s to depend on him for pivotal minutes in future years given his track record. Amid a bright season for the franchise, this might stand out as the biggest disappointment to date.
81 percent shooting for Gordon Hayward inside of three feet: Amid the injuries and debate about Hayward’s future with the team, the former All-Star is putting together one of the most efficient offensive seasons of his career. While his usage has dramatically been reduced from his Utah days even after his return to full health, Hayward has been the best finisher on the team, knocking down an absurd 81 percent of his shots at the rim despite taking the same ratio of those shots as usual. The Celtics don’t need Hayward to take 15-20 shots per night right now, but he is clearly getting smarter with his shot selection and it has produced a career-high 50.7 percent shooting from the field.
2.4 blocks per 36 minutes for Daniel Theis: The Celtics have the fourth-best defense in the NBA despite losing two of their defensive anchors last season in Al Horford and Aron Baynes. While some improved defense on the wings has been essential, there may be no bigger surprise on the roster than the defensive impact Theis has made in the middle. The 6-foot-9 German ranks 15th in the NBA in blocks per 36 minutes, providing a mobile presence in the middle to help deter drives to the rim. This skillset combined with his unselfishness in giving himself up for teammates (6.8 screen assists per 36 minutes ranks 6th in NBA) has made the idea of upgrading at center an afterthought. Theis has been an above-average center this year and one of the best bargains in the league while earning just $5 million this year.
3.7 assist to turnover ratio for Marcus Smart: It has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride from Smart from a shooting perspective amid a host of injuries and an eye infection that kept him out of the lineup for weeks. However, Smart’s feel as a playmaking guard for this group continues to improve in year six of his career. He has the 15th best assist-to-turnover ratio of his career, a gigantic improvement from last season when he didn’t even finish in the top-50. The biggest cause for the change? Smart’s turnover rate has plummeted to one of the lowest on the team and the best out of all the C’s point guards. He was prone to forcing the ball and making ill-advised passes in recent seasons, but those issues have improved dramatically during the 2019-20 campaign. That’s helped the C’s sustain one of the lowest turnover rates in the league, one of the most underrated factors in putting together a top-5 offense this year.
20.0 points per game for Jaylen Brown: Outside of the Warriors superteam over the last couple of seasons, three 20-point scorers on one roster in the NBA has been a rarity over time. The Celtics have a legitimate shot of making it happen this season thanks to Brown’s efficiency. He’s been one of the most accurate high-volume wing shooters in the NBA, knocking down an absurd 56 percent of his two-point attempts while flirting with a career-high 39 percent from downtown. His true shooting percentage of 59 percent is the best on the Celtic roster among non-centers, turning Brown into one of the best third options in the NBA right now.
Other NBA News and Notes
—The first seller made its move at the trade deadline on Friday when the Warriors dealt Willie Cauley-Stein to the Mavericks for a 2020 second-round pick. Some people wondered about whether the center could be a cheap center option for Boston, but he is still a downgrade from Theis and Kanter at this point. With roster spots tough to come by, the C’s should rightfully be aiming higher for any potential upgrade.
—Cauley-Stein will fill in for Dwight Powell in Dallas as the former Celtic suffered a torn Achilles last week. He’s likely to miss all of next season to recover as well but thankfully had signed a long extension before the season began.
—One potential big fish trade target for the C’s with the Memphis pick is off the table now that Lauri Markkanen is out for the next 4-6 weeks with a stress reaction of his right pelvis.
— Jusuf Nurkic is back at Blazers' practice as he continues his recovery from a broken leg suffered last season. He still has no timeline to return to the court as the Blazers fight to stay in the mix for the No. 8 seed out West.
—The Pistons were granted a $9.2 million disabled player exception for Blake Griffin. Detroit has the ability to use it on the trade market or free-agent market in the coming days. The Pistons surprisingly remain within striking distance of the No. 8 seed.