Boston Celtics: 5 keys to series vs. Bucks

4. Bench production

Both the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks have very capable benches. The performances of these second units could sway this series one way or the other.

During the regular season, the Celtics scored an average of 39.3 bench points per game, the ninth-most in the league. In contrast, the Bucks scored just the 26th-most bench points in the league at 31.8 per game.

However, the tables have turned since the postseason began. The Bucks now have the third-best second unit in scoring, while the Celtics sit in seventh place. Furthermore, Milwaukee has a total of seven bench players scoring each game, while Boston has only five.

The thing that should be scaring the Celtics the most is the fact that Milwaukee should be seeing the return of the former Rookie of the Year, Malcolm Brogdon. This will boost the Bucks’ second unit as they can move Sterling Brown back to the bench.

Luckily, Boston still has the heavy-hitters on its roster. Gordon Hayward is averaging 12.3 points per game in the playoffs, which would make him Milwaukee’s fourth-leading scorer. Of course, Boston also has Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier, two guys who are capable of scoring in bunches at any moment.

In the absence of Marcus Smart, the Celtics will be relying heavily on these players to come up big in the playoffs. A bit of bench production could be all they need to advance to the conference finals.