Power Ranking Boston Celtics Players Heading into 2014-15 NBA Season
So far, the Boston Celtics have been using their 2014-15 NBA preseason games as an experimental proving ground, featuring different mixtures of personnel in various rotations. This has given fans a decent look at their current crop of players and how they react and play off one another.
With a handful of absences, both glaring (Rajon Rondo) and not so glaring (Vitor Faverani), Boston won't know exactly what they have until more time has passed. Still, we can take stock of what we know and hopefully extrapolate a little bit on this upcoming NBA season.
With apologies to the likes of Erik Murphy, Christian Watford, Rodney McGruder and Tim Frazier, Boston will likely carry 15 players into this season. Dwight Powell seems to be the odd man out, along with those aforementioned non-guaranteed players. Powell does appear to have a guaranteed deal for this season according to Basketball Insiders, but at about $500,000 Boston can swallow it if need be.
With these power rankings, we'll be focusing on the 15 players most likely to make the Celtics' final roster.
15. Joel Anthony
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Joel Anthony has actually seen some playing time this preseason, earning 30 minutes combined in two appearances.
The time does appear to be short-lived, however, as he was not on the floor for the Celtics' recent contest against the Toronto Raptors. Boston has invested a decent amount of money in three young bigs: Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger. There is also the more talented Brandon Bass to contend with for minutes in the frontcourt.
Anthony opted into his $3.8 million contract over the offseason, making a wise financial decision. However, his path to real playing time isn't very clear.
Head coach Brad Stevens has called upon Anthony to serve in a mentor role for this young team, according to ProBBallReport.com's Stephen Brotherston. For now, that is likely the only value he will provide Boston.
If he manages to find any playing time during the regular season, Anthony is a bruiser who isn't quite outside his prime. At 32 years old, there are certain aspects of the game that have passed him by, but he can still provide solid body work in the paint and get tough rebounds.
14. Vitor Faverani
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One member of the Celtics we haven't seen yet is Vitor Faverani. The Brazilian big man had some lingering knee issues at the outset of training camp that eventually led to surgery.
The Celtics announced on Oct. 14 that Faverani had successful knee surgery and is expected to make a full recovery in 6-8 weeks.
Unfortunately, with it being so close to the season, that timetable has Faverani sitting out until early December. By then, it is likely that Brad Stevens will have settled somewhat on a rotation in the frontcourt likely featuring Sullinger, Olynyk, Zeller and Bass, with some smaller guys worked in.
When he does eventually return from this injury, Faverani is going to have a hard time carving out minutes in a crowded frontcourt. Given how he was essentially benched toward the end of last season, it is hard to see where he fits into Stevens' plans in 2014-15.
When on the floor, Faverani does have an edge over Joel Anthony, though. He is younger and bigger, for starters. Along with that youth and size comes a lot more power and a tick more offensive skill. When he was receiving regular playing time early in 2013-14, Faverani put up some decent numbers, including 5.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in November.
13. Phil Pressey
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Somewhat a victim of circumstance, Phil Pressey finds himself rather low in these power rankings.
Pressey has noticeably improved his game over the offseason, proving that he deserves to be in the NBA, which was questionable throughout his rookie year. He looks a lot more confident when given the chance to run the Celtics’ offense this preseason, employing some fancy new moves after surely watching a handful of Rajon Rondo tapes.
In their recent loss to the Toronto Raptors, Pressey had his wraparound pass working extremely well. He racked up four assists and one turnover in 13 minutes of play. On the other hand, that is definitely a move that defenses will quickly catch up to, especially once they realize that the threat of a shot isn’t really there. In that same game, Pressey was 0-of-6 from the floor, making him 6-of-19 in the preseason.
Despite his improvements, there is still little reason to believe that Pressey will have a major impact on the Celtics this season. He is seeing just a handful of minutes now in the preseason (17.6 per game), and that's without Rondo active.
Upon Rondo's return, which seems closer and closer every day according to the MetroWest Daily News' Scott Souza, Pressey is going to struggle to crack the rotation. Rondo, Avery Bradley and rookie lottery pick Marcus Smart are going to soak up more minutes in the backcourt. Off-guard Marcus Thornton is a much better shooter than Pressey, and Evan Turner may see some time in the backcourt as well.
That doesn’t leave much room for Boston’s diminutive floor general.
12. Gerald Wallace
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According to MassLive.com's Jay King, Gerald Wallace suffered a bone bruise in his knee and will likely miss two weeks.
That is not good news for a player who saw limited playing time as it was. While Wallace is resting his knee and healing up, Evan Turner has a prime opportunity to make a case for extended minutes at the small forward spot.
With Jeff Green still the likely starter, there is now some competition for Wallace's spot behind him last season.
The newly acquired Turner has been making quite a bit of noise with his play thus far in the preseason. He is averaging 11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists at several positions.
Wallace also has to contest with rookie first-rounder James Young, who could see some playing time at his old spot. Young has also been unable to be on the floor much this preseason but has a silky jumper, which the Celtics might need more than Wallace's defensive tactics.
Though he may be ready to go by opening night, this is the time Stevens is using to figure out his rotations and lineups. With little time seeing Wallace interact with Boston's newer players, it will be difficult to throw him back in when he is ready.
It should also be noted that Wallace missed a large chunk of last season after having surgery on his knee and ankle. For a 32-year-old with a lot of miles and a high-octane style, mounting injury concerns don't bode well for his future.
11. James Young
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Celtics fans haven't seen much from one of their newest faces, as James Young has been absent for much of training camp and was unable to go in any of their summer league games.
While the lingering aftereffects of the car accident which held him out of summer league are unpredictable and not all that worrisome, this current hamstring issue is a bit more alarming. According to The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, Young could return by the team's last preseason game on Oct. 22.
Thus far, Young has played just one game with the Celtics. That makes it difficult for Stevens to put much trust in the 19-year-old to go out and execute on the court. If he is unable to get enough work in with his new teammates by the time the regular season gets underway, he may find himself gaining experience up in Portland, Maine, with Boston's D-League affiliate, the Red Claws.
Young does have a couple of things going for him. First off, the Celtics didn't have to take him where they did. There were a variety of options, but Boston wanted to make a move for him specifically. Now that the Celtics have him, they are going to want to put him in the best position to succeed long-term.
The other thing is that his one game was pretty good. In a 20-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Young saw 20 minutes of playing time and went for 10 points, hitting 3-of-8 from the field. Perhaps most impressively, he got to the line five times, showing a willingness to take contact. The shot wasn't totally there, as he was 1-of-5 from beyond the arc, but there had to be considerable rust after so much time off.
There is an opportunity for Young to earn minutes on this Celtics team. Behind Jeff Green at small forward, it is still anybody's ballgame, and Boston needs all the shooting they can get given some shaky recent numbers coming from their backcourt.
10. Marcus Thornton
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When it all boils down, Marcus Thornton may figure out that he has himself a nice little situation with the 2014-15 Celtics.
Of course, there is that $8.575 million paycheck he is reeling in, but that is only part of it. The Celtics have a backcourt right now that can't spread defenses very well. Fans and supporters can point out trends and mid-range games all they want, but until defenses start respecting Rondo, Smart, Bradley and Turner on the perimeter, this team will struggle to get high-percentage shots from inside.
This is where Thornton comes in and can really carve out a nice role for himself. On another team, his negatives may outweigh his positives, and he'd find himself parked on the bench for the most part. However, in Boston his shooting is going to be incredibly valuable.
A career 34.5 percent three-point shooter, Thornton has the capability to go off at any time and could provide quick and dangerous scoring off the bench. He has reached double figures in all five preseason games, averaging 15.4 points on 46.7 percent shooting, and has hit on 13-of-30 from beyond the arc.
When he is hot, Stevens can ride him for lengthy stretches; he has the ability to shoot Boston back into games on occasion.
Unfortunately, there is little else in Thornton's arsenal. He has just eight rebounds and one assist through those five preseason contests. He doesn't have much of a handle unless his plan is definitive. He can get to the rim, but if his path is blocked, it is a turnover waiting to happen.
Boston has a spot in its rotation for any guy who can hit open threes. Thornton is that player right now, at least until James Young proves himself.
9. Tyler Zeller
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At first glimpse this preseason, Tyler Zeller looked shockingly out of place. After the Celtics traded for him over the offseason, there was a decent amount of talk about how he could help this team out with his skill set and size.
The early returns were frighteningly shaky. However, after a few games he appeared to settle in with his new teammates and has been one of the more promising storylines to come out of Boston's October.
Like the player with whom he was traded to Boston, Thornton, Zeller finds himself in an intriguing situation. He is really Boston's only true center with typical size, style of play and much ability. Sure, Faverani is there, but he isn't ready to go yet and isn't nearly the player that Zeller could be.
He has worked to show off those exact skills that could earn him quite a bit of playing time under Brad Stevens. Zeller has been excellent with the ball in his hands around the rim, and those three turnovers he surrendered in the opener have become just seven giveaways over five games. That shows that his confidence and awareness is growing.
While Boston has been figuring itself out, Zeller hasn't had much of an opportunity to showcase his speed running the floor, but that is one of his greatest attributes. It should help him hang tight with Rondo once the Celtics' starting point guard returns.
In the Celtics' recent loss to the Toronto Raptors, Zeller had a few nice stretches, racking up three blocked shots, but struggled on help defense. He was often out of position when a penetrator got by Boston's initial defender. He was able to block and alter a few shots but will have to improve his overall positioning and anticipation.
Zeller will definitely find playing time in Boston. However, he hasn't done enough just yet to put a lock on a starting spot.
8. Brandon Bass
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Occasionally the odd man out with talk of all those youngsters in the Celtics' frontcourt, Brandon Bass has kept trucking along at his usual pace.
Bass has used the preseason to work on a few aspects of his game while also submitting some solid numbers. He's averaging eight points over five games and shooting 51.6 percent from the field. He has made a clear point of working to get to the rim more, which would add a valuable extra weapon to his mid-range game. For a career 83.4 percent free-throw shooter, this would be a very good thing.
Right now his role in Stevens' scheme is unknown, considering all Boston has riding on recent first-round picks like Olynyk and Sullinger. In Boston's recent preseason game against the Toronto Raptors, Zeller was having an excellent game, which partially caused Bass to post just three points in 16 minutes.
With all that going on in Boston's frontcourt, Bass is potentially a trade asset. He will make $6.9 million this year, but that contract expires next summer. He has skills that would help a lot of NBA teams in addition to that decent-sized expiring deal.
However, he does provide a certain level of leadership to the young group. With experiences ranging from playing alongside Kevin Garnett to competing in an NBA finals with the Orlando Magic, Bass has a lot to impart on his young teammates.
7. Evan Turner
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The most pleasant surprise of the Celtics' preseason has been Evan Turner.
Officially signed at the start of training camp to a two-year, $6.7 million contract, Turner has been inserted right into the Boston rotation. Thanks to a handful of injuries, he has been seeing a fair amount of playing time all over the backcourt and at small forward. Turner is averaging 11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists through five games.
This shouldn't have been incredibly unexpected, as Turner is a very talented and capable player individually, which he showed throughout his time with the Philadelphia 76ers. What has been so intriguing is how rapidly he has developed a rapport with some of his new teammates. He and Zeller, for instance, were working the pick-and-roll very well together in a recent game.
Turner has been putting together very well-rounded performances thus far and minimizing the mistakes that have held him back during his career. His 11 turnovers in five games haven't been bad, especially with the ball in his hands so often. He has also only taken seven threes, hitting four of them. With 24 free-throw attempts through five contests, we know Turner is attacking instead.
The notion of him playing some point guard at the outset of training camp was a little frightening, but with his play thus far, it doesn't seem all that wild of an idea. His size on the perimeter allows for maximum court vision, and his long arms can keep entry passes up high to bigs in the paint.
For such a gifted athlete, there are a few aspects of his game that do need work. His anticipation is a little slow on the defensive perimeter. All the athleticism in the world can't help you keep up with NBA penetrators after they get the drop on you for their first step.
Without Jeff Green playing much thus far, it is tough to say for certain what Turner's initial role will be with the team, but for now he has been one of their best players regardless of position.
6. Marcus Smart
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If there is anyone who has benefited from Rajon Rondo's broken hand, it has been Marcus Smart.
The rookie lottery pick has been seeing 28 minutes per game during this preseason and is making strides as a point guard. It hasn't all been rosy, but Smart has shown glimpses of what should make him a very good NBA player someday.
Until we see Smart play regular-season NBA basketball, it is tough to place him any higher on this list. For starters, he has turned the ball over 18 times in five games. With 23 assists, that is too poor of a ratio for a starting point guard. He is also shooting a ghastly 27 percent from the field overall. That has come from some extreme games, though. He shot well in two of the five contests.
Where Smart has excelled is where everyone thought he would: defensively. He has picked up 11 steals through five games and is displaying a lot of confidence on that end.
The NBA speed will take a little bit longer to adjust to, but for now he is so incredibly strong that he is making it work. Holding the ball out in front of him is a terrible idea no matter the size and strength of the player; he will strip it. Smart has also brought a little bit of the Avery Bradley Special, forcing the ball out of the point guard's hands around mid-court and throwing off the opposition's possession.
As a whole, Smart is going to wind up being a very solid draft pick for GM Danny Ainge and the Celtics. It will take some time, but they have plenty of that.
5. Kelly Olynyk
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While things haven't soared out of the gate for Kelly Olynyk during his sophomore preseason, the notes have been good, and the play has been on the verge of backing them up.
There was no shortage of Olynyk praise when camp opened up, as ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg noted in an early October report. Stevens was very excited to see what his second-year big could put together.
He has been the regular starting center, missing one preseason game with an injury but averaging 28.3 minutes through four games.
Confidence-wise, he picked up right where he left off last season. Olynyk had a very impressive April slate and has shown no hesitation in stepping up to the plate this October.
At 7-of-13 right now, his three-point shot is an interesting wrinkle that Boston could stand to see a little more. However, where Olynyk is at his best may be off the dribble in space. He has a solid handle for a player of his size, which allows him to put frontcourt defenders in uncomfortable situations. He is then very crafty with getting a clean shot off, even if he must contort his body in the process.
In his second season, it will be important to showcase improvements in other areas like the ability to stay grounded on defense. If Olynyk can pick up charges and use his length to aid in help defense by altering shots, there is a chance he enters the top four in these rankings.
Despite some intriguing play from Zeller, Olynyk is still the front-runner to be Boston's starting center at the outset of this regular season.
4. Jared Sullinger
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Jared Sullinger is certainly a candidate to have a breakout year in his third NBA season, but I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in that actually happening.
Sullinger has been a solid contributor since his rookie season when he's been on the floor. However, it is difficult to say what his ceiling is as a grounded and slightly undersized power forward. Brad Stevens has attempted to maybe raise that ceiling a little bit with his encouragement of Sullinger's perimeter-shooting experiment, but that hasn't yielding many positive results just yet.
He is still an incredibly valuable commodity, though. If he is conditioned and healthy enough to play 30 minutes a night, there is little reason he can't average 15 points and 10 rebounds per game. He was at 13.3 and 8.1 in 27.6 minutes on average last season.
Sullinger's preseason has been more of the same. He has been an absolute animal on the boards, hauling in everything in sight. He is also showing to be much more adept at directional tipping of rebounds he can't corral. For a player of his size and vertical leaping ability, that is a huge development.
The three-point shooting has been a mixed bag but brings some promising notes. He is 7-of-15 from beyond the arc over five preseason games. However, in two of those games he was 6-of-7; in the other three, 1-of-8. While that might be a net positive statistically, if Sullinger is shooting Boston out of a couple games each week, this experiment isn't worth continuing.
For the time being, Sullinger is a very solid player and should have the potential to showcase a little more than he has through his first two seasons.
3. Avery Bradley
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As risky as it sometimes giving a sizable contract to a young player who hasn't proven a great deal, Avery Bradley appears to be one of the more grounded youngsters in the league today.
Signed to a nice four-year, $32 million deal this summer, Bradley doesn't appear to have slipped. There had to be concern that he wouldn't work as hard to prepare for the season now that he is financially comfortable for awhile. Likewise, there is always going to be concern that he won't live up to the deal, particularly until he proves he can stay healthy for an 82-game season.
The struggle right now is the same as it has been for his entire career: Boston fans want to see him and Rondo in a starting backcourt together. Yet once again this was fouled up by an injury, this time to Rondo's hand.
Since Brad Stevens knows what he has in Bradley, he hasn't found it necessary to run him ragged during the preseason. Instead, we've gotten longer looks at Smart, Pressey and Turner. However, when Bradley's number has been called, he has responded.
Bradley is shooting 48.2 percent from the field and was entrusted by Stevens to take the game-tying shot in the closing seconds of a recent game against the Raptors; Bradley hit a catch-and-shoot jumper. Although the Raptors would pull out a win on their next possession, it was an important moment for Bradley and the Celtics.
He has played almost no point guard at all, which is in keeping with what Stevens implemented last season. This is beneficial to Bradley as he continues his development as a shooting guard.
The defense will continue to be top-notch, but if Bradley is capable offensively and plays smart with the ball in his hands, he can easily live up to this new contract.
2. Jeff Green
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It has been tough to get a read on Jeff Green this preseason. He has played in just one game and even then was forced off the floor once with an eye issue.
What we have to go on with Green is his so-so performance from last season along with what seems like a never-ending stream of potential he has never been lived up to. A year ago, Green averaged 16.9 points per game but took 14.3 shots a night to get there.
The positive is that Green was forced to do that without a healthy Rondo for much of the season. With Rondo running the show, there should be some hope that Green is able to get better looks and play a more efficient style.
There was definitely some rust in his preseason debut, and he might not be at 100 percent just yet. Green shot 3-of-12 from the field for nine points and five rebounds. He looked an inch or two slow on some of his cuts, which can wreak havoc on his timing and ability to shoot the ball from where he wants. Hopefully that is just an injury and timing thing and not indicative of losing a step; Green only recently turned 28 years old.
He made a few nice plays defensively and was able to bounce off picks to recover quickly, which bodes well for his return.
There was some preseason talk of Green trying out some minutes at power forward, an intriguing proposal. We didn't see much of that in his game against the Raptors, but it could certainly work as a wrinkle in Stevens' game plans. Green is a career 34.4 percent shooter from outside, which would serve to clear a fair amount of space in the paint.
Defensively, if he is engaged he has the height and athleticism to contend with many of the NBA's power forwards.
1. Rajon Rondo
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Though we haven't seen him play this fall and only witnessed 30 games' worth of him last year (and 38 in 2012-13), Rajon Rondo is still safely secure at the top of the Celtics' power rankings.
Boston's former All-Star point guard has been hampered by injuries for a while now, starting with an ACL tear and moving on to a broken hand this preseason. According to Scott Souza of the MetroWest Daily News, Rondo is rehabbing that hand and still gearing up for the regular season.
For all the trade rumors and turnover Boston and Rondo have gone through over the past couple years, the player still seems very determined to get on the floor for this questionable Celtics team. A lot of that has to do with personal pride, as Rondo has certainly fallen a bit out of favor around the league.
Another aspect to keep in mind is his contract. Rondo has now seen point guards he feels are below him like John Wall and Eric Bledsoe earn massive deals while he has been playing on a team-friendly contract through much of his prime. He wants to get paid next summer when his current deal, worth $12.9 million, expires.
This will help to keep him motivated both with his rehab and once he's back on the floor. After missing half of the last two seasons, Rondo can't afford not to have a good year. The money will come if he submits a season that we all know he is capable of playing.
Danny Ainge and his staff have done a solid job of trying to start their rebuild around Rondo while also safeguarding against the possibility that he may leave in a trade or free agency. They are a much younger team that will like to get up and down the court, with Rondo leading the break in transition. That is something he wasn't able to do much with Boston's previous older squads.
Now we'll hopefully see a creative Rondo in his prime habitat.
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