Center Luka Garza has given the Celtics a boost this season with his offensive rebounding and screening ability.
Center Luka Garza has given the Celtics a boost this season with his offensive rebounding and screening ability.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
This is the first in a two-part series of Celtics evaluations at the All-Star break, focusing on bench players.
Baylor Scheierman — In college, Scheierman developed a reputation for his shooting. But he is earning minutes with the Celtics now because coach Joe Mazzulla trusts him as a defender and views his rebounding as an asset.
Scheierman can guard multiple positions and has been tasked with slowing down elite scorers. According to CraftedNBA, Scheierman has held opponents 6.8 percentage points below their season averages when guarding them within 6 feet of the basket.
On offense, the no-dip 3-pointer has become his signature shot, and he has been flammable from the left corner, hitting 18 of 27 attempts. But there is room for improvement on 3s from above the break, where he is just 18 for 67. Also, Scheierman has made 52.4 percent of his shots at TD Garden, but just 35.4 on the road.
Hugo González — The 28th pick of last June’s draft has endeared himself to Celtics fans with his relentless and fearless style. Mazzulla loved it, for example, when González stepped into the face of Norman Powell after the Heat All-Star got a little too comfortable swinging his elbow earlier this month.
But there is substance behind González’s hustle and grit, too. The Celtics have outscored opponents by 17 points per 100 possessions with González on the floor this season, by far the best net rating on the team.
González is a good cutter and strong finisher who has made 41 of 56 shots in the restricted area. But there is room for improvement elsewhere, as evidenced by his 34 for 107 shooting beyond 4 feet. Also, González’s hustle is an asset, but he fouls too much. He’s not playing enough minutes for it to be a big issue now, but it could become a hindrance as his role increases.
Luka Garza — Garza played just under 1,000 total minutes over his first four NBA seasons, but the Celtics were intrigued by his advanced metrics despite the small sample size. Garza vaulted back into the regular rotation in late December and has been perhaps the team’s most surprising asset since then. According to ESPN analytics, Garza’s 64.4 net points — a metric that measures a player’s overall impact — ranks 34th among all NBA players, and second on the Celtics behind only Derrick White.
He has given Boston a boost with his offensive rebounding and he is an elite screener. He is also shooting a blistering 43.8 percent from the 3-point line, but the career 31.4 percent long-range shooter could be due for some regression as this season progresses.
Nikola Vucevic has fit in nicely with the Celtics in his first three games since being traded.
Nikola Vucevic has fit in nicely with the Celtics in his first three games since being traded.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Nikola Vucevic — Vucevic has appeared in just three games since he was traded from the Bulls in exchange for Anfernee Simons on Feb. 5, so it’s too early to assess his play. But the Celtics were encouraged by Vucevic’s rising comfort level between just his second and third games in green.
The Celtics are eager to use Vucevic as an offensive hub. According to ESPN analytics, he ranks in the top six in the NBA in net points from both floaters and hook shots, and his new teammates see that if they cut to the basket when he has the ball, he will find them. Vucevic’s defensive shortcomings are no secret, but he remains a skilled rebounder.
Jordan Walsh — Walsh started this season out of Mazzulla’s rotation, then spent about a month as a starter, and has since had a vacillating role off the bench. But he has shown his value, most often deployed to pester the opponent’s most dangerous scorer. Walsh’s length and agility create headaches for ball-handlers, and he relishes any opportunity to disturb opponents.
The third-year wing is also emerging as a consistent shooter, connecting on 51.3 percent of his shots and 37.2 percent of his 3-pointers. He has willingly attacked close-outs when teams show him more respect from beyond the arc, and his turnover rate has nearly been sliced in half since last season.
For now, the 21-year-old is just searching for more consistency. His 16-point, 6-rebound, 3-steal, 2-block effort against the Bulls in Boston’s final game before the All-Star break could be a launching pad.
Amari Williams — Williams had his two-way deal converted to a standard NBA deal after Boston’s flurry of trade deadline moves earlier this month opened up roster spots. Afterward, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens offered an encouraging stamp of approval when he said the rookie “has a chance to be a real player.”
His skills remain raw, but he has shown flashes of his potential. The Celtics value big men who are good screeners, and Williams has held his own in that area. He is also a gifted passer whose 7-foot-5-inch wingspan makes him a deterrent as a rim protector. Still, the early returns have been bumpy. The Celtics have been outscored by 14.9 points per 100 possessions with Williams on the floor this season.
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Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.