Boston Celtics: An Early Look At The C’s Loaded Backourt

By Eric Laboissonniere | Aug 2, 2015

Mar 29, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) drives the ball against Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) in the second half at TD Garden. The Clippers defeated the Celtics 119-106. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

The Boston Celtics had many reliable options in the backcourt last season, and this offseason, the Celtics have added even more depth to their already loaded backcourt. The Celtics have Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Evan Turner, James Young, and R.J. Hunter. Some of these players will make up the wings, but they are listed as guards.

The team also recently acquired Zoran Dragic, but they are likely to waive him. So the Celtics have all these players in the backcourt, but which players will contribute from the backcourt next season? Coach Brad Stevens should be optimistic that almost every guard will see the floor next season.

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The players in the backcourt can be split up into three categories; defensive-minded guards, sharpshooters, and do-everything guards.

Defensive-minded

The Celtics have three guards in the backcourt that are known for being very good on the defensive end. Bradley is a dominant defender who has great hands. He averaged 1.1 steals per game last season, and he usually always has the toughest defensive assignment, along with other lockdown defender Jae Crowder.

Although, Bradley is known for his defense, he does find many ways to score on the offensive end, and he has a great mid-range jumpshot.

Smart and Rozier are also two very defensive-minded guards, who play very similarly, even though Rozier has never played in an NBA game. Smart and Rozier both work very hard on the defensive end, and they are always fighting for loose balls and trying to create turnovers.

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They also play similarly on the offensive end because they tend to shoot inconsistently from deep, but neither player is afraid to attack the rim.

Sharpshooters

The first sharpshooter that will come to mind is Thomas, who can literally shoot from anywhere on the court. He was arguably the best player on the Celtics last season, and he averaged 16.4 points per game with both Boston and the Phoenix Suns. He came off the bench for the Celtics and was asked to score the basketball in a variety of ways.

He should be the leading scorer on the Celtics again next season, even if he comes off the bench again.

Hunter and Young are two players that are going to try and prove that they can be consistent sharpshooters off the bench. They both play like wings/shooting guards, especially Hunter who can shoot from anywhere in the gym.

He showcased his shooting ability in summer league and during his time in college, now we will have to see if he can come off the bench and hit big shots down the stretch. Young should be poised for a big season, but he needs to be confident in himself and his jumpshot. He has great size for a guard, and he has a great shooting stroke.

Young and Hunter are two players that should impact the Celtics off the bench next season, but one of them might end up in the D-League at the beginning of the season.

All-around

There is only one player in the backcourt that can just about do everything on both ends of the floor, and that is Turner. He was the primarily ball-handler for the Celtics down the stretch, and he showed that he could be the clutch go-to guy when the Celtics needed a bucket.

He is listed as a small forward, and definitely has the size to sometimes play down in the paint on the defensive end, but he is the most well-rounded backcourt player that the Celtics have.

Overall

Thomas, Bradley, Turner, and Smart will be the biggest contributors from the backcourt for the upcoming season, but that does not mean that other players in the backcourt will not contribute. The Celtics need shooting, so look for the coach Stevens to call upon players like Hunter and Young for sharpshooting off the bench.

The backcourt might be a little overloaded, but the team certainly has a lot of depth in case someone goes down.

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