Celtics player power rankings: Avery Bradley’s absence looms large
The Celtics will play four games over the next five nights without their starting shooting guard
COMMENTARYThe Celtics are about to embark on the busiest portion of their 2016-17 season with eight games over the next 13 days. That section of the calendar will prove to be an even bigger challenge without Avery Bradley in the mix, as he’ll be sidelined for at least the next week to rest a sore Achilles. The Celtics’ defense has been unable to stop high-scoring guards (Derrick Rose, C.J. McCollum) with their first-team All-NBA defender in the mix over the last week, and that’s a concerning development with matchups against James Harden and Bradley Beal looming. Will the shorthanded C’s be up to the task? Brad Stevens is optimistic they are moving in the right direction, despite their recent struggles.“I think we’re going to get better,” Stevens said Saturday about his team’s defense. “This is the best I’ve felt about us defensively in the last couple of weeks, and I told you that, as crazy as it sounds, but we are much more connected in what we were trying to do.”15. Demetrius Jackson — The point guard looked solid last week during the D-League showcase in Canada, but it was his teammate Abdel Nader that got the headlines. The Celtics’ No. 58 overall pick was named D-League Player of the Week after averaging 26 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in two games north of the border.14. James Young — The third-year wing was available for the first time in weeks on Saturday against Portland after a sprained ankle sidelined him for the rest of January. With Avery Bradley (Achilles) out for at least another week, Young could see some spot minutes for the first time since December.13. Jordan Mickey — Injuries and illness in the Celtics frontcourt have opened the door for Mickey minutes recently. The 22-year-old forward has played in three of Boston’s last five games but that window of opportunity could be closing now with Tyler Zeller and Jonas Jerebko both expected back in the lineup this week. 12. Tyler Zeller — The veteran center will be active for the first time in 2017 on Tuesday night against the Wizards after a lengthy battle with sinusitis. “It was the best case scenario where it wasn’t anything serious,” Zeller said last week of the illness. “It was just one of those things where you have to wait it out and then you get back at it.”11. Gerald Green — Green’s minutes tend to fluctuate in line with his offensive production and it’s no surprise that he’s hit a bit of a valley on that front in recent weeks. The 30-year-old is shooting just 20 percent from the field in his last five games and Brad Stevens has responded by limiting him to 31 total minutes in those contests.10. Jonas Jerebko — While the shooting numbers (75 percent) were stellar for the Swedish power forward last week, Boston’s play with him on the court was not. His net rating (-12.0) was the worst on the entire roster over the past week. 9. Terry Rozier — The young guard nearly played hero on Saturday night when his game-tying 3-pointer pushed the Blazers game into overtime.
Terry Rozier sinks a 3-pointer to tie the game with 8.4 seconds remaining! https://t.co/DyjDkKHmkc
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 22, 2017
With Isaiah Thomas garnering more and more attention from defenses in the fourth quarter, it was a promising development for Boston that Rozier showed he could handle the pressure at a big moment.
8. Jaylen Brown — The No. 3 overall pick made use of his size and strength advantage against smaller defenders in the post recently, highlight by a 12-point effort against the Knicks on Wednesday. Another promising sign? Brown’s not just getting to the line more in those contests (10 free throw attempts in last three games), he’s knocking them down (90 percent).
7. Amir Johnson — Al Horford has been Boston’s main rim protector during the 2016-17 season, but Johnson has been providing some assistance in that department as well of late, tallying a block in four straight games.
6. Kelly Olynyk — Aggressiveness continues to be an issue for the seven-footer despite his improved shooting in recent weeks. The 26-year-old’s 6.3 shot attempts per game last week put him in the middle of the pack on the roster, despite the fact he shot a scorching-hot 63 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from 3-point range.
5. Marcus Smart — How does Smart continue to be a net positive for the Celtics during a week in which he shoots 26 percent from the field? Boston’s defensive rating plummets to a league-worst 125.4 points allowed per 100 possessions when he’s off the floor.
4. Avery Bradley — One needs to look no further than last week to gauge the shooting guard’s impact. With Bradley back in the lineup on Monday, the Celtics easily dispatched the Hornets, a likely playoff team. However, once Bradley’s sore Achilles sidelined him yet again, the Celtics proceeded to drop a pair of games to non-playoff teams (Knicks, Blazers) thanks to huge nights from Derrick Rose and C.J. McCollum (Bradley’s likely defensive assignments).
3. Al Horford — The veteran big man is taking more 3-point shots than ever (4.5 per game) and the added attempts are taking a toll on his field goal percentage. He’s shooting a career-low 45.1 percent from the field, which would be just the second time in his career he’s dropped below the 50 percent mark.
2. Jae Crowder — The small forward may not be at 100 percent still, but he’s in the midst of one of the best offensive stretches of his career. The 6-foot-7 wing has scored 15 or more points in five straight games, averaging 18 ppg over that stretch while carrying more of the scoring load with Bradley sidelined.
1. Isaiah Thomas — With just seven days remaining, Thomas remains within striking distance of the best scoring month in Celtics history. He’s only a couple tenths of a point behind Larry Bird and Paul Pierce as he attempts to cement another spot for himself in the franchise record books.
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