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Post by philarhody on Aug 28, 2016 15:42:50 GMT -5
So there's two things the Boston Celtics will be pretty bad at this year: shooting threes and rebounding the basketball. I sorta wish the 2017 lottery was tmrw...
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Post by rjp313jr on Aug 29, 2016 7:04:40 GMT -5
Three point shooting won't be very good but it may not be inept either. The following players have some promise:
1. Avery Bradley has turned into an effective 3 point shooter. If he stays healthy, he could be even better this year.
2. Crowder was ok last year at the three but very inconsistent. He's improved his overall game maybe this will take a slight step forward.
3. Olynyk was a very good three point shooter last year and as long as his shoulder injury doesn't have lingering effects then he should be again.
4. Horford added the 3 to his game last year and he shot just over 34%, if he adds a couple percentage points he's a threat from there at the center position.
5. Thomas, I believe was actually a good catch and shoot 3 point shooter but not so much off the dribble. If they exploit that more then it could be a weapon to use.
List a lot of ifs and I'm not suggesting they will ever be better than average as a team but it's possible they could get to at least there or close to it.
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Post by rjp313jr on Aug 29, 2016 7:06:54 GMT -5
Rebounding will be a different story although there are many who believe Horford is a much stronger rebounder than given credit for and that the system in Atlanta retarded his numbers.
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Post by philarhody on Aug 29, 2016 8:12:08 GMT -5
Rjp. The problem of course, is if you can't shoot great (not mediocre, but great) in today's NBA, then you need to destroy the glass. That's why OKC gave an undersized Warrior's lineup fits in the conference finals last year. Boston can't do either of those things well.
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Post by rjp313jr on Aug 30, 2016 8:51:22 GMT -5
People always say "this is how you have to win", but the truth is there are many ways you can win. And the fact is we know this team likely isn't winning a Title and they will win a lot of games. How far they run in the playoffs will depend on match ups and health more than anything else.
This teams strength is in its depth and defense.
Also, OKCs length, which helped it rebounding, but more affected Golden States abilities both in the paint and in having open looks from deep was more a factor than simply rebounding.
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Post by jmei on Aug 30, 2016 9:28:39 GMT -5
I'm always skeptical about statements that teams "need" certain skills to be successful. History has shown that just about every type of team can have success, and that all you really need are really good players who fit in the right way. Would it be nice if they had more shooting or rebounding? Of course, but it isn't a necessity to be a top-4 seed in the East, which is what they look like right now.
Like last year's team, their strength will be defense, particularly perimeter defense-- getting steals and fast-break opportunities. That's a nice core to build a team around. Their biggest weakness last year was a lack of shot creation beyond Thomas, and adding Horford might really help with that. You can give him the ball in the high post and run cutters/screeners around him and have him pick out open shooters or just go to work in the post. Horford is also a versatile pick-and-roll/pop threat.
The biggest risk is that he's no longer able to shoulder that much of an offensive burden, which is a legitimate concern. But, if he stays healthy and productive, I think there's a good chance their scoring sees a healthy bump. It's a lot easier to make 3s when they're clean catch-and-shoot opportunities generated after your primary offensive threat drew the help defense, and those sorts of opportunities are what they hope Horford can help create.
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