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Boston Celtics: Most Logical Candidates To Enhance The Offense

By Jeremy Gottlieb

Apr 3, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) drives the ball against Milwaukee Bucks guard O.J. Mayo (00) in the second half at TD Garden. The Bucks defeated the Celtics 110 to 101. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) drives the ball against Milwaukee Bucks guard O.J. Mayo (00) in the second half at TD Garden. The Bucks defeated the Celtics 110 to 101. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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These are the early days of training camp and the preseason. But even though the NBA regular season doesn’t begin for another four weeks, there is one thing that’s already abundantly clear when it comes to the 2015-16 Boston Celtcs.

They need to be a better, more diverse offensive team.

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Local writers are already on to this scenario, with A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald and Jay King of MassLive.com writing about how important it will be for Celtics coach Brad Stevens to find someone he can depend on for buckets beyond just Isaiah Thomas.

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Thomas can get his shot pretty much whenever he wants and he most certainly sparked last season’s playoff run. In Boston’s first round series with the Cavaliers though, he was swallowed nearly whole and not a single other player wearing green stepped up to stem the tide on the offensive end.

Perhaps the C’s can find another scorer via trade. Given the glut of power forwards and smallish guards currently on the roster, a deal prior to the start of the season makes plenty of sense. But if there’s no deal to be made, the most logical in-house candidates are as follows.

Avery Bradley: The Celtics’ starting 2-guard has turned himself into a terrific mid-range jump shooter and a pretty decent three-point shooter. When he wasn’t wistfully talking championships, Bradley acknowledged the need to turn some of his long twos to three-point attempts at Media Day.

And while that’s a very smart idea, what would be even smarter would be for him to force the issue, a la Isaiah, and take the ball to the rack more frequently. The most Bradley has gotten to the free throw line in a season over the course of his five-year career was 112 times in 2013-14. That equaled 1.9 times per game in 60 games played.

Bradley is a pretty slight player and his frame might not stand up to repeated trips into the paint but he needs to drive more than he has in the past. Between taking more threes and getting to the basket more frequently, Bradley’s 13.9 points per game average from last season should easily increase.

Jared Sullinger: If you believe Sullinger’s vow to “make an emphasis of getting [his] big butt on the block and move some people around, the fourth-year man could really have a positive impact on the Celtics’ scoring this season.

Sullinger put up identical 13.3 points per game averages in each of the past two seasons while taking somewhere in the vicinity of three shots per night from beyond the arc (2.8 per game in 2013-14 and 3.2 per game last year). Say he cuts that number at least in half and translates those touches/that usage into going to work in the post.

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Rumored draft target could 'pave way' for scoring G.O.A.T. to join Boston Celtics
Rumored draft target could 'pave way' for scoring G.O.A.T. to join Boston Celtics /

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    • It seems fair to assume that his scoring average will increase as will his free throw attempts. Sullinger got to the line just 2.2 times per game last season, an unacceptable number for a player his size who plays his position (the fact that he took one full three-pointer more than free throw per game last season is mind-boggling).

    Sullinger on the block, initiating contact and using his frame to get easy shot attempts would do wonders for the Celtics’ offense.

    David Lee: Firmly entrenched in the Celtics’ frontcourt logjam is wizened veteran Lee, who will be plenty motivated to put up numbers given his reduced role with Golden State last season combined with this being the final year on his contract.

    Should Stevens find enough minutes for him to do his thing (which will not be easy given the presence of Sullinger, Tyler Zeller, Amir Johnson and Kelly Olynyk) then Lee is someone the Celtics can lean on for offense. Lee averaged in excess of 18 points per game as recently as 2013-14 and has never shot worse than 50 percent from the floor for a season in his 10-year career.

    This is a guy who knows how to not only get himself high percentage looks but make them too. Don’t underestimate the importance of a consistent performer like Lee.

    Next: Boston Celtics: Brad Stevens The Trendsetter

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