Robb: The Celtics bench is providing an unexpected boost in Orlando

The bench has been one of the biggest question marks for this Celtics team all year long and that’s largely been a byproduct of Boston’s poor health situation before the Orlando bubble With such a top-heavy starting lineup, Brad Stevens always planned on his second unit lineups having 2-3 starters (or Marcus Smart) on the floor at all times. That was rarely able to happen in the first 65 games of the regular season as the C’s only found themselves with their core five players fully healthy for 15 of those games.

Those absences usually forced Marcus Smart into the starting five and left the C’s bench lacking name recognition and firepower on the offensive end. Defense has always been the priority for this group in the Stevens era but the offensive production for the undermanned bench was a serious drag on this team in the first three quarters of the season and the numbers show that.

Celtics bench pre-Orlando (64 games)

27.2 ppg (29th)
45.4 percent shooting from field (15th)
32.6 percent from 3 (25th)
6.1 FTA per game (20th)
+1.1 net rating (7th)

Boston’s bench was largely propped up in these games offensively by design with the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown carrying the offense for stretches. However, the inconsistent 3-point shooting and inability to score put the C’s in a bind on many nights when the starters came out flat. With younger players being put in spots they weren’t ready for yet, the C’s suffered once the injuries starting piling up.

Danny Ainge saw this happening at the trade deadline but opted against even adding an offensive-minded rental like Alec Burks or Davis Bertans to the mix. He didn’t want to steal shots from his core and believed that this bench group would be better if and when it got to full strength.

That has happened in Orlando after a four-month layoff. Kemba Walker is still working his way towards full strength in regards to his sore left knee but the C’s core has remained at full strength for the entire run of seeding games before everyone got the day off on Thursday. The end result has been everyone falling back into their planned role with Marcus Smart coming off the bench for big minutes. Brad Wanamaker has turned into a second guard off the bench as a secondary ball handler instead of an initiator as well.

Stevens has also had more options at center now beyond just Enes Kanter with the return of Rob Williams to full health. We’ve already covered some of his standout play in the past week that has helped him force his way into the rotation after spending the first three games on the bench.

And while the Celtics reserves weren’t exactly impressive in Thursday’s 96-90 loss to the Wizards on a day Boston’s top-six got the day off, the ones who matter for the postseason looked good.

Enes Kanter: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 18 minutes
Brad Wanamaker: 6 points, 4 assists in 18 minutes
Rob Williams: 6 points in 6 minutes on 3-of-3 shooting
Semi Ojeleye: 13 points, 8 rebounds 2-of-6 from 3

It’s these four and Smart that will make up Boston’s bench rotation until further notice. Grant Williams and Romeo Langford could be called upon situationally if one of these four struggles defensively but they are on the outside looking in right now. With Ben Simmons out, Ojeleye may not even play much against the Sixers. Kanter, Wanamaker, R Williams and Ojeleye have been the mainstays in the rotation with Smart in Orlando and have delivered far steadier production in their natural roles than we saw earlier this season amid the injuries. Let’s first look at the bench play in Orlando over the seven games when the regulars played.

Celtics bench production in Orlando (7 games)

50.5 percent shooting (3rd)
35.7 percent from 3 (11th)
39.6 ppg (10th)
9.6 FTA per game (7th)
+4.2 net rating

That’s a 50 percent jump in points per game in the bubble for the second unit. While it may be tempting to point to Smart for the scoring gains, he’s actually struggled mightily with his shot (32 percent from field, 8.9 ppg) in Orlando thus far. Instead, it’s been the likes of R. Williams and Wanamaker that have been giving the C’s production a lift off the pine on a nightly basis. Let’s take a look at a few bright spots we’ve seen already

Brad Wanamaker: 71.1 percent true shooting (best among guards on the team)

Rob Williams: 84 percent shooting from the field (22-of-26)

While the individual production has been stellar, the team play on the court has been even better in the Sunshine State. Boston’s reserves have helped jumpstart game-changing runs in four of Boston’s five wins in Orlando midway through the first half. That has resulted in bench players posting four of the five best net ratings on the roster since the restart.

Rob Williams: 32.4
Enes Kanter: 30.6
Brad Wanamaker: 23.9
Jayson Tatum: 14.0
Marcus Smart: 13.2

While it’s easy to dismiss these numbers as small sample size (a valid criticism), it’s also worth noting that these big performances by the bench have come against elite teams (Milwaukee, Toronto) during the bubble. In fact, there hasn’t been a complete dud from the second unit in any games so far during the restart.

vs. Milwaukee: 39 bench points, 13-5 run for second unit upon entering the game

vs. Portland: Kanter 11 points, +16

vs. Miami: Smart fouls out but Wanamaker (8 points) and Kanter (10 points) are both positives

vs. Brooklyn: Bench scores 69 points in blowout, career-high 18 for Rob Williams, leads 18-1 first half run

vs. Toronto: Wanamaker (15 points), Rob Williams (10 points) help sustain dominant first three quarters by regulars

vs. Orlando: 33 bench points, 10 points for Wanamaker

vs. Memphis: Three bench players (Smart, Kanter, R Williams score in double figures) on way to 47 bench points.

As the playoffs begin next week against Philly, the roles of these guys will diminish to some degree. Brad Stevens will be playing his wings 35-40 minutes per night and asking less of guys like Wanamaker and Ojeleye. The fact that Simmons is out of the picture for Philly helps out on a number of front but is a big positive for someone like Wanamaker who wouldn’t have a chance against him defensively.

Kanter and Williams will remain in the limelight at the center spot as options for the matchup with Joel Embiid. After the last two weeks, Stevens now appears to have two worthy alternatives at center on a nightly basis now to Daniel Theis, something the C’s will need against the Sixers size.

One particular three-man unit to watch is the Smart/Wanamaker/R. Williams combo that has played 34 minutes with the starters in Orlando and has a sensational 44.8 net rating over that stretch.

“They’re all three good players,” Stevens said of the trio this week. “I think that Brad and Marcus do a good job of getting the ball to Rob when he’s available. Brad had, the other night, a late drive where he looked at the rim and dumped it off to Rob. Marcus is a good lob thrower, Marcus sees through the defenses on top of Rob, he can read that. Those guys both know how to play. They are very savvy. They play well together. It gives us two point guards on the floor and I thought that they were a part of many of our good possessions tonight, for sure.”

All of this might not mean very much when it comes to the postseason, which is a different animal than regular season. With homecourt advantage out of the picture now, role players should be more comfortable in what is largely an empty gym. Bench players can be exposed badly in the postseason but they can also win a team a series, something we saw repeatedly in last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals when the likes of George Hill and Pat Connaughton took over games for stretches against Boston with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench.

The Celtics won’t be asking any of their reserves to do that but asking this group to hold serve in their limited minutes no longer seems like such a big ask with this entire group looking healthy and playing to their roles. In a bizarre change of pace, the Celtics reserves have been a strength for this group and could provide an unexpected boost when the playoffs begin.