Boston Celtics: David Lee Should Not Be In The Rotation

David Lee played 16 minutes for the Boston Celtics on Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies, and he did not show any positive signs for future rotation minutes.

After not recording a minute of playing time over the previous three games for the Boston Celtics, coach Brad Stevens decided to add David Lee to the rotation on Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Lee played 16 minutes, and had four points, five rebounds, and shot 2-for-12 from the field (second on the team in shot attempts). Lee finally saw the floor after not playing in three straight games soon after his comments about how he should be in the rotation following a loss to the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 6.

Lee did not show that he deserved to to be in the rotation during his 16 minute stint against the Grizzlies. He forced up many of his shots because he was trying to show that he could help the team on the offensive end, but he failed miserably by shooting 16.7 percent from the floor and a majority of his shots were right near the rim. Lee really struggled on both ends of the floor, and he did not help the Celtics, he actually has hurt Boston all season when he is on the floor (he has had a net rating of minus-4.0 for the year). Lee also recorded a plus/minus of minus-12 when he was on the court for the Celtics against the Grizzlies.

If Boston does not trade Lee, then he can still benefit the team with his leadership and experience, but he should not be in the rotation.

Lee Is A Leader, But Not An Impact Player

The Celtics have too many players on their roster that deserve playing time, and David Lee is not one of them. If coach Stevens continues to go with Lee off the bench, players like Jonas Jerebko, Tyler Zeller, and Jared Sullinger‘s minutes would go down. In the loss against the Grizzlies, both Zeller and Jerebko did not play, which is something that should not happen. Jerebko should get a shot to play every game because of his ability to stretch the floor with his three-point shooting and because coach Stevens can throw out some interesting small-ball lineups with Jerebko.

There is no need to put Lee in the rotation, but it will still be good to have him around if they do not trade Lee because of his leadership and experience. This is a very young Celtics’ team, which does need leadership and guidance if they want to make a deep run in the playoffs; this is what Lee could add. He is an NBA champion, a veteran, and a former All-Star, so it would not be bad to keep him around, even though he is probably the most expendable Celtic if general manager Danny Ainge wanted to make a move.

Overall

Lee has had plenty of opportunities to shine this season, but he has not shown that he can have a consistent positive impact off the bench. He is shaky on the defensive end, and he has been shooting a career-low 45.3 percent from the field (53.1 percent career field-goal percentage). Lee could stick around in Boston if he buys into his role as a leader that does not play, but obviously he still thinks he can help the team with his skillset.

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David Lee should not be in the rotation at all because there are too many players that deserve playing time a lot more than Lee does in the frontcourt.