Boston Celtics

Celtics’ report cards: 2016-2017 grades for every Boston player

Despite a successful 2016-17 season, grades for Celtics players were all over the place.

Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) waits with Avery Bradley (0) and Al Horford, center, for the Cavaliers to bring the ball up court during an NBA game in Boston, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

By Brian Robb

8 minutes to read

COMMENTARY

As Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge embarks on another challenging offseason in the ongoing quest to build a championship team, a vital part of the process will be evaluating the players already wearing green. Ainge’s roster took a major step forward for the second straight season by advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2012. However, an ugly 4-1 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers in that series showcased just how much work the Celtics still have to do. In order to help shape Boston’s offseason, we’ll take a look at the performance of the roster throughout the season and how each player’s progress may help determine his role in the future of the Celtics.

Guards

Isaiah Thomas

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Notable 2016-17 stats:  

28.9 ppg, 5.9 apg, 46.3% FG, 90.9% FT 37.9% 3-pt, 8.5 FTA per game.

Overview: Two years ago, Isaiah Thomas did not even begin the season as the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics, which makes the fact that he just put together one of the best offensive seasons in franchise history even more incredible. The second-team All-NBA guard finished atop the Celtics’ record books in 3-pointers made in a season and was just shy of setting the individual all-time points per game record for a single season. The 5-foot-9 speedster mixed that incredible production with tremendous efficiency as well, setting career-highs in field goal, 3-point and free throw percentages. His defensive limitations (mostly due to his size) were glaring at times, but he made up for those shortfalls by transforming the Celtics into a top-10 offense despite an average supporting cast.

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Grade: A+

Avery Bradley

Notable 2016-17 stats:

16.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 46.3% FG, 39.0% 3PT, 1.2 SPG

Overview: Consistent growth has been the story of Bradley’s career to this point, and that trend continued during the 2016-17 season. Beyond hitting a new career-high for points per game, Bradley nearly doubled his career output in rebounds per game, pitching in for a shorthanded Celtics front line. The biggest issue for the 6-foot-2 shooting guard, as has been the case throughout his career, is health. He missed 27 games due to injury or illness, the fourth time in his career that he’s missed 20+ regular-season games. The good news in 2017 was that he stayed on the floor when it mattered most, playing in all 18 postseason games for the C’s.

Grade: B+

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRHxFfGBtQM/

Marcus Smart

Notable 2016-17 stats:

10.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.6 apg, 35.9% FG, 28.3% 3PT, 1.5 SPG

Overview: The common line of thinking was that Marcus Smart’s offensive game could not get any worse after one of the worst shooting seasons (25% 3-pt FG) for a high-volume player in 2015-16. That expectation was correct, but not by much. It was another rollercoaster year for the third-year guard, which was plagued by lengthy shooting slumps for months at a time. Ultimately, Smart showed incremental gains with his 3-point shooting, but not nearly enough to justify the volume of attempts (4.0 per game). On the plus side, Smart remained an absolute force on the defensive end and made positive strides as a distributor at point guard. His assist rate (5.5 per 36 minutes) saw a healthy uptick, and that bodes well for the possibility of him developing into a starting point guard long-term.

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Grade: B-

Terry Rozier

Notable 2016-17 stats:

5.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 36.7% FG, 31.8% 3PT, 0.6 SPG

Overview: Rozier’s performance was a tale of two seasons. The first one (the regular season) was fairly underwhelming. The second-year guard failed to find any consistent offensive rhythm; his finishing ability remained toward the bottom of the league among backcourt players; and he routinely got torched on the defensive end. There were some positives mixed in (rebounding, low turnover percentage), but the inconsistencies left most fans with a bad taste in their mouths.

The second season (the postseason) was a different story altogether. Rozier’s athleticism was on full display as the game intensity ramped up. He found his outside shooting stroke (38 percent from 3) and did not try to do too much while retaining his positive attributes (defensive rebounding, no unforced turnovers) from the regular season. The end result was the 6-foot-1 guard playing his best basketball of his NBA career when it mattered most.

Regular season grade: C-

Postseason grade: A-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NARLpMtQBY

Demetrius Jackson

Notable 2016-17 stats (D-League):

14.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6.0 apg, 42% FG, 27.5% 3PT, 1.3 SPG

Overview: The second-round draft pick played just five games for the big club during the regular season. He spent most of 2016-17 season gaining experience with the Red Claws, where his overall numbers were a mixed bag. Jackson showed his all-around versatility by averaging more than five rebounds and assists per game, but his shooting numbers leave a bit to be desired against the decreased competition.

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Grade: C

Wings & Swings

Jae Crowder

Notable 2016-17 stats:

13.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.0 spg 46.3% FG, 39.8% 3FG

Overview: One of the best bargain contracts in the NBA looked even more valuable last season, as Crowder took a big step forward in his offensive game. He posted notable career-highs in both his field goal and 3-point shooting percentages, helping the Celtics turn into a top-10 rated NBA offense. There were a few signs of regression, particularly on the defensive end, where the 26-year-old showed some mobility issues on a bad ankle. Despite those concerns, Crowder took a big step forward in his career and remains one of the most valuable trade chips on the roster.

Grade: A-

Jonas Jerebko

Notable 2016-17 stats:

3.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.9 apg, 43.5% FG, 34.6% 3FG

Overview: A hot start to the Swede’s season got sidetracked in February when a collision with Jaylen Brown resulted in a broken nose. The 6-foot-10 power forward missed minimal time with the injury, but his shooting slumped in a big way, in part due to a protective mask he was forced to wear. Jerebko shot just 39 percent from the field after the All-Star break, and his playing time diminished with his inability to spread the floor. Overall, Jerebko was a strong energy player during his two years in Boston, but the team is likely to say goodbye to the pending free agent this summer.

Grade: C-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_izolGSISs

James Young

Notable 2016-17 stats:

2.3 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.1 apg, 43.1% FG, 34.3% 3FG

Overview: Young’s tenure in Boston remained disappointing during year three. The 22-year-old swingman showed a few flashes of growth during the season, but he never managed to secure a spot in the rotation over Jaylen Brown or Terry Rozier for more than a few games. There is still untapped potential here, particularly on the offensive end, but we probably won’t be seeing it in Boston since Young is unlikely to return as an unrestricted free agent.

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Grade: D

Jaylen Brown

Notable 2016-17 stats:

6.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.4 spg 45.8% FG, 34.1% 3FG

Overview: Ainge surprised the NBA world by selecting the 19-year-old wing at No. 3 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, but it did not take Brown long to prove he belonged in the NBA. The small forward played the eighth-most minutes out of any rookie in the draft class and finished with the most win shares among all top 5 picks last year. His athleticism was among the best on Boston’s roster and his perimeter jumper was better than anticipated as well. There is still plenty to work on (defensive awareness was a major issue at times) this offseason, but there’s no questioning that Brown started his Celtics career on a positive note.

Grade: B

Gerald Green

Notable 2016-17 stats: 5.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.7 apg, 40.9% FG, 35.1% 3FGOverview:

Brad Stevens referenced “spurtability” when asked about Green joining the Celtics last year, and the 30-year-old lived up to that reputation. The 6-foot-7 swingman ranked second on the team in points (17.5) and shot attempted (15.6) per 36 minutes. Green’s efficiency and shot selection remained questionable at times, but he provided an important postseason boost against the Bulls, stretching the floor with his shot after being called to start in Game 3 of the first-round series. It’s unclear how much the veteran has left in the tank, but the Celtics could do far worse for a veteran’s minimum player.

Grade: B-

Bigs

Al Horford

Notable 2016-17 stats:

14.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.3 bpg 47.3% FG, 35.5% 3FG

Overview: Horford’s numbers, taken individually, can appear rather pedestrian for a player earning $26.5 million per season, but his all-around impact on the Celtics made him worth that expensive price tag. Horford’s unselfish, solid play helped him lead the team in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.93-to-1), and his outside shooting helped stretch the floor and create the space for Isaiah Thomas to break out with a career season. Perhaps most importantly, Horford elevated his game in the postseason where he shot 58.4 percent from the field and 51 percent from 3-point range. There continues to be regression from the 6-foot-10 big man on the rebounding front, but his positives still outweigh his limitations at age 30.

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Grade: A-

Amir Johnson

Notable 2016-17 stats:

6.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.8 bpg 57.6% FG, 40.9% 3FG

Overview: Johnson holds the claim of having the highest net rating (+8.0) on the Celtics’ roster for the 2016-17 season, but that did not convince Stevens to keep the big man on the floor for more than 20 minutes per game. Johnson’s offensive limitations proved to be a liability as teams elected to downsize their lineups late in games. Johnson’s subpar rebounding also was an issue all year long as the Celtics ranked in the bottom five in defensive rebounding for the third straight year.

Grade: B-

Kelly Olynyk

Notable 2016-17 stats:

9.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.6 spg 51.2% FG, 35.4% 3FG

Overview: The seven-footer made some strides in his offensive game during the 2016-17 season, just not in the areas you might expect. The 26-year-old improved his finishing at the rim dramatically, hitting 75 percent of his shots inside of three feet, a 10 percent jump from his career average. Those gains helped Olynyk post a new career-high in FG percentage, despite a decline in his 3-point shooting. The question now for the Celtics’ brass is how much they think is worth investing in the restricted free agent who showed both potential (Game 7 vs. Wizards) and warts (Eastern Conference Finals) throughout the postseason.

Grade: B

Jordan Mickey

Notable 2016-17 stats:

1.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.2 bpg  44.1% FG

Overview: Opportunities were hard to come by yet again for the second-year forward out of LSU. Early-season injuries to Al Horford and Kelly Olynyk did open the door for minutes in November, but the 22-year-old looked overmatched in those stints, particularly on the offensive end. At this stage of his career, he’s a borderline NBA player, and he’ll likely be fighting hard for a roster spot next year in Boston or at the end of the bench on another team.

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Grade: D

Tyler Zeller

Notable 2016-17 stats:

3.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.4 bpg, (36 games) 49.4% FG

Overview: A steady rhythm was hard to find for the seven-footer for the second straight season. He posted career-lows in points and rebounds while Stevens trended towards smaller, more offensive-minded lineups as the year progressed. Zeller’s defensive impact remained strong (his 104 defensive rating was the third-best on the team), but it will be hard for the team to justify keeping around a player earning $8 million per year in 2017 when he’s playing just 10 minutes per game.

Grade: C-