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3 Players Who Still Have to Step Up for the Boston Celtics
- Updated: November 23, 2016
Optimism surrounding the Boston Celtics is on the rise following a rocky start to the 2016-17 NBA season.
Buoyed by the returns of Al Horford (concussion) and Jae Crowder (ankle) to the starting five, the Celtics (8-6) have won their last two road games, climbing back into the Eastern Conference’s top half.
When active, Horford (14.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.8 APG, 2.4 BPG) has been the lineup’s main stabilizing presence. The Celtics are 4-1 when he suits up, and the All-Star also has a 14.8 net rating in his 158 minutes of action. Fellow core pieces Isaiah Thomas (26.4 PPG) and Avery Bradley (team-leading 6.6 RPG) have also carried heavy burdens during the team’s uneven and injury-riddled start.
The bigger problem head coach Brad Stevens faces now is handling an underperforming supporting cast. Here are three players he needs more from if the Celtics plan on challenging for the No. 2 seed in the East.
Amir Johnson
Amir Johnson has been a fixture in the starting lineup since he was signed to a two-year, $24 million contract last July. The 6’9″ big man is a steady defensive presence when paired with Horford most nights, but his inability to end those possessions with rebounds is a worrisome issue for Boston.
Johnson, 30, is averaging just 6.6 rebounds per 36 minutes, the lowest number of his career since becoming a full-time player. That’s also a dramatic decline from his production last season, when he grabbed 10.1 boards per 36 minutes.
The problem is even worse on the defensive glass for the 11-year veteran. He is corralling just 12 percent of all available defensive rebounds, a sharp dip from last year’s mark (19.6 percent). Through 14 games, Boston is the worst defensive rebounding team in the league, and Johnson’s decline in that area is a big reason why.
Defensive Rebounding RateCreate bar charts
The Celtics are already undersized in the frontcourt with Horford (6’10”), so they can’t afford to pair him with one of the league’s worst rebounding bigs.
“We got to get better …
