The Celtics are gearing up for a tough battle at the top of the Eastern Conference over the final two months of the season coming out of the All-Star Break. They have already added some reinforcements with Nikola Vucevic and more help is potentially waiting in the wings as Jayson Tatum gets closer to returning from a torn Achilles. Big questions still remain about this group in the second half so let’s tackle questions about the roster, season surprises and more in this week’s mailbag.
**What is an element of skill set for a player on this year’s team that has surprised you the most? For me it’s been the Baylor S rebounding lately. — Tharty**
Scheierman’s rebounding is certainly a good one and I would contend his defense has been quite the pleasant surprise as well especially given that Joe Mazzulla has assigned him some tough guard matchups all season long..
The other guy I would highlight for rebounding purposes is Jaylen Brown. His work on the boards has not stood out much throughout his career, and given the heavy offensive onus he has to carry this year, I was not expecting him to take a big step forward in this department. Instead, Brown is doing the best rebounding of his career by a long shot (7.2 rebounds per 36 minutes) which has helped Boston overcome what was their biggest weakness to begin the year. With Jayson Tatum waiting in the wings, the Celtics may suddenly turn into an elite defensive rebounding team by the time the playoffs arrive if Brown can keep this up.
**The obvious question is what types of signings will keep them under the aprons. Is a veteran an option? I expect at least one point guard and a wing defender. — Buddy L**
Look for the Celtics to put together a pair of 10-day contracts, likely for a pair of two-way players on a 10-day deal. The Celtics will ultimately be able to sign one veteran to a roster spot but they will need to wait until far closer to the end of the season to do so to stay under the tax. Ron Harper Jr. looks like a very good candidate to be that guy. For now, Max Shulga and John Tonje would be my bets for a 10-day deal to get the team back up to 14 players.
**How do you see this big rotation faring in the playoffs? I don’t imagine we’ll see much of Garza, and that Neemy and Vucevic will be featured heavily. Vucevic has pretty glaring defensive limitations, and while Neemy’s leap into a starter caliber big has been neat, he remains very mistake prone; I am worried teams will pick on those mistakes in the playoffs. Where do you see this big rotation stacking up in the east and is it enough to get us to the finals? -- Will F**
It’s certainly going to be the team’s biggest question mark heading into a potential second-round series against any other East contender. Boston’s frontcourt has played above expectations all year long but they will be giving up a pretty big talent edge to every other team (New York, Detroit, Cleveland) at the top of the East. How big that talent gap ends up being may ultimately decide how far their postseason run goes.
A lot of that success is going to fall on Queta, in my opinion. If he can stay out of foul trouble and remain a net positive for the team offensively (with his offensive rebounding and rim running) that allows this Celtics team to be the best version of itself. Otherwise, Vucevic is a nice offensive weapon but one that is better served to play against second units in the playoffs since his defensive limitations are easy to target. He’s still a good weapon to have in crunch time offensive situations though so Brad Stevens did well to get Joe Mazzulla some optionality in that department.
**Do you think we may still see Jaylen in a primary usage role when Tatum returns—sort of like Batman and Robin change places? Could Vucevic play a Horford-light role in their offense? - Chris F.**
I expect Jaylen’s usage to go down but definitely envision him still topping the roster once Tatum is back. Tatum is going to be on a minutes limit in all likelihood and is very much aware of the success this team has had over the first few months of the year. I don’t expect him to try to become top dog again immediately as he shakes off the rust. The Vucevic comparison with Horford feels spot on even though he provides some more skills than Horford (post ups, offensive rebounding) at this point in his career. His 3-point shooting has historically been more inconsistent though so the Celtics probably won’t want to be over reliant on him as a pick-and-pop option.