5 Things the Boston Celtics Must Address During the 2015 Offseason
After a few thrilling victories and an agonizingly tight loss to the Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors, fans are ready to believe in this Boston Celtics team.
But the truth is, for as good as this club has looked at times since the All-Star break, it still will end 2014-15 with plenty of question marks.
The addition of Isaiah Thomas has solved some problems, and it certainly seems like Boston won the Rajon Rondo trade, but there are clear reasons this team is No. 11 in a weak Eastern Conference.
The C’s have on-court deficiencies that need to be addressed, as well as some big picture front office decisions that are coming down the pipeline.
Not to take away from how enjoyable watching Thomas carve up defenses and Jae Crowder drill three-pointers has been, but let’s look at five glaring issues that Danny Ainge and co. will have to deal with when the campaign comes to an end.
Statistics are accurate as of March 2, 2015.
Inside Scoring
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Boston is a respectable 14th in the league in paint points (43.0 per game), per TeamRankings.com, but it still clearly lacks an inside option to consistently throw the ball to.
Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk are far more effective facing up, and Tyler Zeller does the brunt of his damage in the pick-and-roll.
While it’s possible that these three could improve as back-to-the-basket players, the C’s have some cap room to make a move and the potential to add a quality player.
They aren’t going to snag LaMarcus Aldridge or Marc Gasol as an offensive anchor, but pieces like Greg Monroe, Amir Johnson and Roy Hibbert (restricted) are all possible options for the Celts to pursue.
Fourth quarter struggles have been a recurring theme for Boston in 2014-15 (as evidenced by its massive meltdown against Golden State), and part of the problem is that it relies on its guards to create questionable shots.
Boston shoots just 36.7 percent in the clutch, per NBA.com, a number that places it near the bottom of the league.
With an established inside presence, the C’s will have more offensive balance, especially late in games.
Obviously, Brad Stevens’ offensive system is predicated upon uptempo play and outside shooting, but a good team is able to throw multiple looks at opposing defenses to keep them on their heels.
The Celtics’ young frontcourt is good, but for the team to go to the next level it should target a more skilled inside scorer to round out the rotation.
Long-Term Plan for Draft Picks
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With the Thomas trade, Boston has shown it is willing to part with some of its slew of first-rounders for more established talent.
The problem is, it still has another 500,000 picks to make over the coming seasons, give or take a few.
Obviously, the C’s will want to use their own first-rounder this season on a prospect with high upside, but even with that there are still a slew of options.
With draft selections coming from the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and, of course, Brooklyn Nets, Boston will have plenty of future flexibility; but it needs to start deciding what to do with it.
Using all of those picks on rookies doesn’t make a ton of sense, as it is infeasible to have a team with that many projects, and most of these picks are likely to fall toward the end of the first round.
Obviously, another route is to try and swing a deal for an established talent, similar to the Thomas trade, as one becomes available.
First-round picks aren’t quite as coveted around the league as they were a season or two ago, but they are still highly valuable assets.
The C’s have never been a top-flight free-agent landing spot; so trading for stars or working through the draft are effectively their only paths to a superstar.
They reportedly attempted to swing a trade based around their 2014 lottery pick for Kevin Love in May, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, so they are clearly willing to explore all options.
Boston has a bright future whatever it chooses to do, but these decisions that seemed so far away are inching closer.
James Young's Future
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Trading Tayshaun Prince opened up some marginal minutes for rookie 2-guard James Young, but with Thomas thriving, Young's long-term role is still a question mark.
Thomas, Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley are all locked up for years to come, and the three have played extremely well since the deadline.
Young has been getting increased tread, playing 14.5 minutes per game post-All-Star break, compared to just 9.6 minutes beforehand, but he hasn’t exactly shined.
He’s averaging 3.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in the past six games and hitting just 27.8 percent of his attempts and 15.4 percent of his three-pointers.
This is still an incredibly small sample size, so it’s too early to panic about his bust potential, but it is unclear where he fits into the C’s roster.
He has some impressive moments shooting the basketball but also struggles at times as a decision-maker and ball-handler, which is hardly surprising.
Young is a tremendous athlete and has length, but he’s 6’6” and 215 pounds, limiting him to the shooting guard spot until he bulks up.
He set the D-League on fire, averaging 23.6 points and 5.3 boards on 52.6 percent shooting overall and 51.2 percent from three in nine games for the Maine Red Claws, showing the talent that made him a mid-first round selection in the first place.
Perhaps the goal is to slot him in at the 3 in a few seasons, but Boston clearly likes Crowder, who has been on a tear of late (13.5 points and 8.0 rebounds since the All-Star break).
The Celts could use an immediate upgrade at the swingman spot, but unless they’re willing to throw away this next season, giving Young 30-plus minutes regularly is not a great idea.
At just 19 years old, Young is clearly going to mature both physically and as a basketball player, and this could all be a moot argument if he proves to be a star in the making.
However, for now his role in 2015-16 is unclear, particularly if Boston uses its lottery pick to draft another wing.
Outside Shooting on the Wing
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Trading Marcus Thornton was a no-brainer, but his absence has further highlighted the C’s glaring lack of outside shooting.
Thornton was clearly Boston’s best player from range, hitting 41.9 percent of his triples while in green, and this roster simply doesn’t have the shooting Stevens’ system requires.
Jonas Jerebko has hit 66.7 percent of his threes since joining the Celtics, but he’s a 34.3 percent career shooter and that number will inevitably regress.
Bradley knocks down a respectable 36 percent and Smart has been better than expected at 33.7 percent, but unless Crowder can maintain his 37.1 percent post-All-Star mark, the lack of balance will eventually catch up to them.
As a team, Boston is near the bottom of the league at 33.1 percent, despite taking 24.1 triples per game, good for 12th in the NBA.
Luckily, shooting is something that is pretty easy to address in the offseason, as long-range gunners are generally available without breaking the bank.
Pieces like Gerald Green (35.3 percent), Khris Middleton (41.3 percent), Mirza Teletovic (32.1 percent) and even Wesley Matthews (39.4 percent) are all free agents this summer whom Boston could explore adding to bolster their outside shooting.
As the league continues to develop, having spacing will only grow more important, and Boston simply needs more players who can take five or six three-pointers per game and knock them down at a high percentage.
The Celtics’ offense is already good (11th in points at 101.6 per game), but with more shooters spacing around Smart and Thomas, they could utilize a deadly 5-Out offense with shooting at every position on the court.
Small Forward Position
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We’ve touched on Crowder’s recent play and Young’s potential, but the team still needs a more sure thing at the 3 spot going forward.
Since trading Jeff Green, the C’s have been relying heavily on Evan Turner, and he has played well, but he’s historically turnover prone and a non-threat from distance.
Turner is a nice piece who deserves a meaningful rotation spot, but he should not be logging 30-plus minutes nightly.
Fortunately, the 2015 draft class should be chock-full of quality small forward prospects who could help fill Boston’s hole.
Per NBADraft.net, the Celts are currently slated to take UCLA’s Kevon Looney at No. 9. Looney is more of a 4 in college, but he could grow as a perimeter player as his jumper improves.
Depending on which way Boston’s season goes, it could potentially move up high enough to draft Arizona star Stanley Johnson, a tremendous athlete who should be an elite two-way player in the league.
Other options include Kansas’ Kelly Oubre, Duke’s Justise Winslow or Virginia’s Justin Anderson, depending on where Boston ends up in the draft order.
None of these players, save for Johnson, would be ready to start immediately, but they could play quality minutes behind Crowder and give the Celtics bench an added scoring punch.
Free agency also holds some intriguing, if unrealistic options for Boston to examine. It could throw max offers at players like Draymond Green or Kawhi Leonard, hoping their current teams’ cap situations are murky enough that they don’t match.
Boston could also push hard for more realistic options like Tobias Harris or Thaddeus Young, two athletic forwards who may not stick long-term with their current squads.
Whichever avenue the Celtics choose, whether it's free agency or the draft, it is clear that Boston needs to make small forward a top priority this summer.
That is, unless it wants to shatter the “Break In Case of Emergency” glass around Gerald Wallace.
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