The Biggest Early Season Storylines for the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics were always going to be one of the more talked about squads in the early stages of the 2013-14 NBA season, if only because of the departures of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and the addition of head coach Brad Stevens.
No longer a guaranteed title contender, and missing their star point guard Rajon Rondo for the beginning of the season, the Celtics began the season with an uncertain rotation and a relatively hazy idea of how all of their pieces would fit together.
On the surface, the Celts don’t look much different than any of the other five or six teams clustered in the Eastern Conference’s middle tier, but the squad boasts plenty of intriguing storylines both on and off the court.
From the emergence of surprise contributors, such as Jordan Crawford and Vitor Faverani, to the bizarre and depressing saga of Gerald Wallace to Stevens’ debut in the NBA, there has been plenty to watch in Boston, even as the losses mount.
We’re going to ignore Rondo and stick strictly to what has happened during the 2013-14 season, but let’s reflect on the first few weeks of Boston’s campaign and what storylines still have us talking.
A Solid Start for Brad Stevens
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When Brad Stevens signed his six-year, $22 million contract this offseason, he knew that it was going to take several years before his Celtics were ready to contend, and though the team's overall record doesn't show it, Stevens has quietly done a very nice job as a rookie head coach.
The 37-year-old wunderkind has brought his brand of defense-first basketball to Boston and has kept this team competitive despite often facing a talent differential against the league's top squads.
Stevens has his Celtics playing hard every possession and slowing games down to get the most out of their limited offense. Boston is 26th in points scored at 93.4, but that is in part because they are being methodical.
At the same time, he also realized that having this team run is a way to take advantage of its youth and athleticism in the right situations. Boston is 14th in pace at 97.6.
The team has been prone to mistakes, averaging 16.3 turnovers per game, and ranks just 26th in offensive efficiency at 95.2. Both of those numbers should spike, though, when Stevens' superstar point guard returns to provide the backcourt with a steady facilitating presence.
For now though, he has done a commendable job of bringing Boston's offense into the advanced analytics age, favoring threes and attacking the rim versus the mid-range jumpers often launched under Doc Rivers.
He's also kept his team poised down the stretch of close games and draws up excellent out-of-bounds plays. His coaching at the end of the Miami Heat game was particularly impressive.
Stevens has had to make a lot out of a little for the majority of his coaching career, and that has once again been the case with the 2013-14 Celtics. While the results have been disappointing overall, he has shown enough promise that fans should be eager to see what he can do with a few years of experience and some top-shelf talent under his belt.
The Bizarre Spectacle of Gerald Wallace
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The 2013-14 season was always going to be a strange one in Boston, with the team in the midst of a major rebuild, but the most bizarre story of the early going has been the play and overall demeanor of Gerald Wallace.
Wallace came to the Celtics purely as salary filler and has quickly put together some of the strangest stat lines in recent Boston history.
Against the Toronto Raptors, he took just one shot in 40 minutes of work, and against the Memphis Grizzlies, Wallace played 28 minutes and did not attempt a single shot.
For the season he's averaging 4.8 points, 3.9 boards and 2.7 assists. He's shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from distance in 25.7 minutes per game.
Here's the kicker though: "Crash" is taking just 3.7 shots per game and 1.3 free throws while shooting 29.4 percent from the charity stripe.
For his career, Wallace has averaged 9.6 field-goal attempts and 4.5 foul shots, and those statistics include the three years he spent languishing on the Sacramento Kings' bench.
There's nothing wrong with being unselfish and looking to make the proper pass, particularly with Boston often using Wallace as a secondary facilitator, but his steadfast refusal to shoot has been a detriment to the Celts' offense.
He's still a solid defender, but that doesn't make up for the giant minus "Crash" has been on the offensive end of the court.
To make matters worse, Wallace has also been a headache off the court from day one. He has accused his teammates of being selfish and padding stats instead of chasing victories.
According to Jay King of MassLive.com, Wallace was also fined $10,000 for post-game comments after Boston was shellacked by the Houston Rockets. The comments may have been warranted given the nature of the 85-109 defeat, but he has still brought an unnecessary media circus to the C's locker room.
It looked during the preseason like Wallace may have been playing well enough to earn some trade offers, but given his strange affectations on and off the court, it now looks like he'll be sticking around in green for longer than likely either party would want.
The Emergence of Jordan Crawford
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Crawford has cooled off during Boston's recent losing streak, but the much-maligned scoring guard was electric running the point for much of mid-November, particularly during the team's four straight victories.
He began the season on the bench but was quickly inserted into the starting lineup after the offense struggled mightily with Avery Bradley at the helm. Crawford, who can make plays on offense instead of just jacking up 20-footers off screens, quickly proved to be a more competent option than Bradley.
Crawford is averaging 11.8 points, 3.2 boards and 5.2 assists as a starter and posted 12.8 points, three rebounds and 5.8 assists on 47.7 percent shooting overall and 36.4 percent from three in the C's four consecutive wins.
He had a double-double against the Orlando Magic with 16 points, five boards and 10 dimes and notched 16 points, five boards and six assists against the Charlotte Bobcats.
He still takes his share of tough threes, leaners and mid-range jumpers, but he has looked much more in control playing under Stevens than at any point in his career.
Crawford spent the brunt of his time with the Washington Wizards as a 2-guard and was asked to be almost exclusively an instant offensive player for Boston once he was traded.
While he still has a scorer’s mentality, Crawford has proven that he can be a willing passer and use his size and craftiness to set up his teammates well.
He has shown particularly solid chemistry in the pick-and-pop game with Bass, Olynyk and Faverani and has also been able to drive and kick for open looks along the perimeter.
Offensively he's cut down on the questionable three-point attempts and is shooting a solid 43.8 percent on isolation plays, per Synergy Sports.
It's unlikely that he's going to keep knocking down these sorts of tough shots for the rest of 2013-14, and his defense remains largely subpar, but after beginning the season as an afterthought, it now looks like Crawford could be a part of Boston's rotation long-term.
Young Big Men Exceeding Expectations
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By dealing Garnett, the Celtics showed a clear commitment to their young trio of Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk and Faverani, and while the three have had their share of poor performances in the early stages of 2013-14, they have also shown enough promise to make C's fans feel somewhat confident in the move, especially with KG struggling mightily in Brooklyn.
Faverani beating out Olynyk for the starting spot was one of the surprise stories of Boston's opening week, and while the Brazilian big man has had some consistency issues as a rookie, he's an extremely skilled offensive player who is slowly rounding into shape as an NBA defender.
He is averaging 5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in just 17.7 minutes per game while starting eight of the team's first 13 contests.
He's shooting only 43.8 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from three, but his willingness to take outside shots has helped open up the floor for Boston's guards, and he has proven to be a reliable option in the pick-and-roll game.
He's shooting 50 percent on screen-and-roll plays overall and an impressive 45.5 percent on threes out of pick-and-roll plays, according to Synergy Sports.
Faverani has also provided Boston with some semblance of a post-up offense. He's got a reliable hook shot he can shoot with either hand and has solid footwork for a rookie. He rushes his shots at times and is shooting a dismal 26.7 percent from the block per Synergy, but he does a good job of using his frame to carve out space down low.
Unfortunately, his pick-and-roll defense is still a work in progress, but Faverani looks like he'll be a key cog for the C's all season.
Olynyk has struggled with his shot but is averaging a solid 7.9 points, 5.7 boards and 1.8 assists in 23.5 minutes per game. He's connected on just 39 percent of his shots but has looked great dishing the ball and spacing out opposing defenses.
He's yet to find the range on his three, but Olynyk has operated well as an offensive fulcrum around the mid-post and looks at the very least like he should be a solid first big off the bench who can score in bunches—something like a not-insanely frustrating Byron Mullens.
Like Faverani, Olynyk has had some trouble on the defensive end and he has surprisingly had difficulty staying out foul trouble, averaging 3.6 a game. He's never going to be a defensive anchor in the paint, but Olynyk will need to improve as a help defender overall.
He's allowing opposing bigs to shoot 53.3 percent on post ups, per Synergy Sports and is only connecting on 40 percent of his post ups, proving that he is still a work in progress down low on both ends of the court.
Sully came on slowly to start the season but is averaging 12.5 points, 6.7 boards and 1.2 assists on 48.6 percent shooting from the floor.
He's taking too many jumpers, but he's looked much more confident down low and has cut down on his fouls dramatically while seeing an uptick in minutes.
Sullinger was solid down low as a rookie, using his big frame to carve out space on the boards, but he has added a reliable hook shot and a fade-away jumper that he can break out against almost any defender.
His three-point shooting leaves a lot to be desired, but his attempts are at least coming in rhythm and a product of Stevens' offensive system.
For someone who plays down low, Sully does not do a great job getting to the line, he's averaging just 4.5 foul shots per 36 minutes and he needs to work harder at drawing contact and getting to the line, given his lack of explosiveness.
Is This Team Bad Enough to Tank?
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Boston's 4-9 record is not exactly impressive, but the team has been competitive in nearly every game its played. It's coming off of a brutal Texas road trip that included stops in Houston and San Antonio.
Depending on when Rondo returns, this team could have a legitimate shot at a postseason berth if they choose to go that route. The Celtics are just one game back of the Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers, the current seventh and eighth seeds in the Eastern Conference, and if they can recapture the form from their winning streak, they could easily find themselves in the thick of the playoff race.
The top of the Eastern Conference is once again brutally tough, but the bottom is just as mediocre as it has been for several years now. It is entirely possible that a pair of sub-.500 teams could sneak into the final two spots.
The teams above Boston in the standings—the Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic—are not exactly a murderers row, and all of them have a legitimate chance of fading, given their lack of veterans and reliance on inexperienced pieces.
It is highly unlikely that the Celtics decide to chase an eighth seed, and they could very well trade away a contributor like Bass or Courtney Lee if they feel they are not in ideal draft position. With teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings all looking dreadful, though, the Celtics could have some serious competition for the likes of Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Julius Randle.
This Boston team is pretty dreadful offensively, given their lack of a reliable first option, but they are a strong defensive squad that is giving up just 99.1 points per game, which is 11th in the league.
Their point differential of minus-5.7 is bad, but not as bad Philadelphia (minus-6.5), Cleveland (minus-7.0), Milwaukee (minus-8.5) or Utah (minus-11.2).
There are rumors Boston could be pursuing a deal involving Rondo and the New York Knicks' Iman Shumpert, per ESPN New York’s Ian Begley, which would surely send the C's careening into the lottery, but this team as currently constructed with a healthy Rondo in the fold is likely a .500 squad.
Thirteen games into the season, Boston looks mediocre but not downright terrible, and it will be fascinating to see what moves the front office makes if they decide the team is not quite as bad as they would like it to be.
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