Boston Celtics: Greg Monroe is a double-edged sword

The recently signed Greg Monroe has been a big help for the Boston Celtics, but he’s been a liability on defense, making him a double-edged sword.

It’s been a long strange trip this season for Greg Monroe. He started off the season with the Milwaukee Bucks, but was then traded to the Phoenix Suns back in November. The Suns eventually bought out Monroe, making him a free agent.

Monroe ultimately wanted to sign with a contender, and of course the Boston Celtics came to mind. Not only that, but he would be getting good playing time, seeing as how the Celtics have a lack of frontcourt depth.

The contract was a one-year, $5 million deal. It appeared to be a great sign moving forward… but, to what extent?

His greatest strength is his ability to score the ball but he’s a terrible defender, making him a double-edged sword. We already knew he wasn’t going to be a good defender going into this, but did we believe it was going to be this bad?

The hope was that because the Celtics have the top-ranked defense in the NBA, that it would be able to mask any issues with Monroe being on the court. Unfortunately, that is the exact opposite of what has happened.

Boston ultimately fairs better on defense whenever he’s off the court. If you haven’t had a chance to see him play defense yet, then these two examples show how bad he is defensively.

There’s no question that he needs to figure things out any defensive issues fast, because it’s becoming harder to play him for that reason. To expand a little further upon his status as a defensive liability, the team is a lot better on defense when he goes to the bench.

According to NBA.com, the Celtics on/off the court advanced stats show that when Monroe is on the court, the team has a 107.1 defensive rating. However, when he goes to the bench, the defensive rating dips to 104.7.

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That’s a significant margin when Monroe is on and off the court. Looking at his defensive rating, it’s well… how you do you say it nicely? Not good. Technically the worst defensive rating is held under Jarell Eddie, but he’s seen very limited time. Monroe comes right behind him with the team’s second worst rating at 111.3.

If it’s any consolation, he had a defensive rating of 115.8 with the Suns. Joining a better defensive team helps mask some of those issues.

However, while his defense hurts the Celtics, they need his offensive presence. With Boston, he’s averaging 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game with a 53.7 field goal percentage. There’s no question that the bench has struggled to find it’s consistency from the offensive end this season.

The team as a whole averages 104.4 points per game – which lands them at the 20th spot. And for the bench, they average 34.2 points per game (19th). So, we can see that the bench desperately needs Monroe’s offense. When he does play, he does fairly well.

Again, he’s second on the team for offensive rating, but Jabari Bird, who’s in first, hasn’t really seen much time in the NBA. Monroe holds a rating of an impressive 109.9. He may have played in only nine games so far, but it’s still something to consider.

Next: 2017-18 Week 21 NBA Power Rankings

When Greg Monroe plays, he serves as the team’s biggest double-edged sword. He struggles on the defensive end, but makes up for it offensively. The team will surely need his bench presence moving forward and he may get an expanded role come playoff time.