How Should The Celtics Manage Their Three-Guard Rotation?

The Boston Celtics have come across a situation almost as unique as the one that was present with the Phoenix Suns before the trade deadline: they have three guards in their rotation that all can make a case to deserve starter’s minutes.

Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart are all capable of starting for the Celtics, and all bring something different to the table.

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For Thomas, his scoring ability both inside and out, combined with his speed and quickness, make for one deadly offensive package. Throw in his knack for being able to set up his teammates properly and you have yourself a tailor-made point guard that is more than capable of running the show in Boston.

Bradley is no slouch at the shooting guard position. He’s capable of scoring the basketball from virtually anywhere on the floor when his three-point shot is falling, and he is one of the best defensive guards in the NBA. Whether it’s anyone from point guard to small forward, Bradley is not afraid to take on the challenge, and he will go and lockdown the opposing team’s best perimeter threat without question.

That leaves the rookie guard Smart, who has really begun to prove himself as a valuable player in the league. Smart has great size for the point guard position, and is even big enough to get minutes at the other positions on the perimeter. Smart is best at driving to the basket in order to put points on the board, although his jump shot is showing signs of improvement and will be key to his development going forward.

If he can become a consistent outside shooter, then he will be really tough to guard considering his above average ball-handling and passing abilities. Where Smart really thrives is on defense just like Bradley, but given the fact that he’s a bigger player, he can really be more versatile in coach Brad Stevens’ schemes.

With all three players being different sizes and having their own unique style of play, is it possible that all three of them could actually coexist on the court together at the same time?

I believe that answer is yes for a number of reasons.

First of all, all three are capable of knocking down perimeter shots in some sort of capacity, meaning that they really don’t hold the team back on that end of the spectrum because all three can still create proper spacing for one another and whichever big men are on the court with them.

Second, all three have proven that they can be unselfish players. In order for something like this to work, everyone needs to be on the same page in terms of sharing the ball with one another, and seeing as though they have all shared time as point guards before for Boston, it is fair to say that as long as they bought in they could move the ball just as well as any more traditional system.

Finally, as mentioned, there really isn’t a player out of the group that holds the team back on defense. All three of them are capable of holding their own on the defensive end of the floor, and are even able to guard bigger players for longer stretches of time than one would think.

Because of this, it would be possible to line Thomas up at the point guard spot, Bradley at the two and Smart at the three, and the Celtics would still be able to excel on defense because of the versatility that Bradley and Smart bring to the table.

Having three guards on the floor would no doubt speed up the game offensively, as they all excel at playing in the open court with their speed and athleticism. Very few teams could match their overall impact in the transition game, meaning that Boston would gain an advantage there even if their offense in the halfcourt was failing them.

Giving all three guards starting spots in the rotation could really help to build chemistry with one another and help with their development on the court. Keep in mind that Thomas, Bradley and Smart are all on the younger side, so the Celtics could really have a bright future on the perimeter if all three guards can continue to get quality minutes from Stevens.

Could one of them come off the bench in order to give a spot to a more traditional small forward? Yes, that is still possible, however the team doesn’t really have someone on the roster worthy of big minutes at that position. James Young will likely be getting more minutes now that both Jeff Green and Tayshaun Prince are gone, but he’s still young himself and has proven to be a rawer player than Smart to this point.

It’s clear that the future of the Celtics is in their backcourt, so why not give all three guards a chance to really develop together? Not only could it mean good things for the team going forward, but it could also be very fun to watch, and at the end of the day, a team heading for the lottery needs to generate some kind of excitement for its fans.

Next: Are the Celtics Finally Done Rebuilding?

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How Should The Boston Celtics Manage Their Three-Guard Rotation?

By Nathan Grubel | Feb 23, 2015

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