Celtics player power rankings: Al Horford’s absence shows his value
The Celtics have dropped two straight games without Al Horford
COMMENTARY
The Celtics stood pat at the trade deadline while watching other top Eastern Conference playoff teams (Washington, Toronto) make useful upgrades to their depth and talent level. Those improvements are already starting the pay off in the win-loss column, as the Wizards have nearly caught the Celtics for the No. 2 spot in the East, trailing by just a game with just over a month remaining.
Meanwhile, Boston’s lack of reliable depth has proved costly in the last week. Injuries and foul trouble in the frontcourt has forced Brad Stevens to turn to unproven players (Jordan Mickey, James Young) in tough situations, contributing to losses in Los Angeles and Phoenix. While Al Horford (elbow) is expected to return to the lineup this week, the road doesn’t get easier with trips to Golden State and Denver on the docket.
With a favorable schedule looming over the final five weeks of the year, the Celtics still have time to right the ship and hold off the Wizards and Raptors. They’ll likely need a clean bill of health to do so though, something that has been hard to come by for extended stretches all season long.
15. Demetrius Jackson — After a subpar month of February in the D-League, the rookie guard has found his rhythm again, posting a pair of double-doubles in his last three games with the Red Claws.
14. Jordan Mickey — Injuries in the frontcourt, combined with a tough schedule, opened up a couple opportunities for Mickey in the past couple games. He held his own against the Suns on Sunday but the same can’t be said for his play against the Clippers. The second-year forward was a -14 in just three minutes of play.
13. Gerald Green — The swingman is healthy after missing a few games with a sore heel, but he hasn’t cemented a spot for himself back in Brad Stevens’ rotation. He did not see the court against the Clippers Monday night and that trend could continue if the rest of the C’s lineup gets healthy.
12. James Young — Young’s consistent stretch of games in February is now just an afterthought as the shooting guard has failed to knock down the open jumper (20 percent shooting from 3-point range) on the C’s west coast trip. That unreliable production makes Young’s chances for minutes on a night to night basis murky at best.
11. Tyler Zeller — The fact that Mickey has played nearly as many minutes as the seven-footer in the past week does bode well for the veteran center. The case can be made that he should have been given a bigger role against DeAndre Jordan on Monday, but his inability to impact the game from an offensive standpoint (0 points in last three contests) continues to keep him at the end of the depth chart.
10. Kelly Olynyk — The rollercoaster ride of a season for the big man has been on the downslope the past couple weeks. After five straight double-digit point totals in mid February, Olynyk has cracked the 10 point barrier just once in his last seven games, shooting a dismal 1-of-12 from 3-point range over that stretch.
9. Jonas Jerebko — The Swede is shooting 60 percent from the field since dumping the face mask which provided additional protection for his broken nose last Monday. He had shot a dismal 23 percent in the eight games he wore the device.
8. Terry Rozier — Since the start of February, Rozier has been one of the top 3-point shooters (42.9 percent on the roster). The problem? He’s shooting far worse from inside the arc (31 percent) than any of his teammates, highlighted by his continued struggles finishing at the rim.
7. Jaylen Brown — Another productive week from the rookie (11.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg) has strengthened his case to be included in rookie of the year conversation. However, with his minutes holding steady at 25 per game, it’s going to be hard for him to compete with Philadelphia’s Dario Saric, who has become a walking double-double since additional playing time opened up for him at the trade deadline.
6. Marcus Smart — One of the few silver linings in Sunday’s late collapse against the Phoenix Suns was Smart’s aggression in the paint. His 12 free throw attempts were a career-high and he followed those up with nine more Monday night against the Clippers. That type of production at the charity stripe has helped offset ugly shooting (36 percent from field) in month of March.
5. Avery Bradley — The shooting guard’s minutes limit continues to creep up as he rounds back into form following a lengthy absences due to an Achilles’ injury. He played 26 minutes against the Clippers Monday night and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him crack 30 minutes vs. Golden State on Wednesday since the Celtics will need him for all of those to try to keep Stephen Curry in check.
4. Amir Johnson — The veteran center is flirting with a career-high with 40.7 percent shooting from 3-point range, but it’s his net rating (+16.8) that is the more eye-opening number over the past week. The C’s have thrived when he’s been on the court, despite him being limited to just 21 minutes per game. That’s a number you could argue should be on the rise, particularly if Al Horford is sidelined any longer.
3. Jae Crowder — Defensive rebounding has been an issue for the Celtics all year long, but Crowder has done more than his fair share on that front out west. He’s led the team in defensive rebounding rate (grabbing 26 percent of all available misses) in his last four games, including a pair of double-doubles.
2. Isaiah Thomas — The All-Star made waves on Monday night by questioning Brad Stevens’ ‘experimentation’ with inexperienced bench lineups in a tight game again against the Clippers. Thomas probably shouldn’t have called out his coach publicly, but he can make a case to his coach for more playing time, particularly when the C’s are shorthanded. The point guard ranks outside of the top-50 players in the NBA for minutes played (34.3 per game) so pushing to do more is an understandable desire for the C’s top scorer.
1. Al Horford — While many continue to question just how worthy Horford is of the maximum contract the Celtics handed him last summer, his value was on full display in the C’s losses to the Suns and Clippers out west. Without him, Boston showed nearly no defensive resistance at the rim, dropping the team’s record to 7-7 on the season without the four-time All-Star.
