Boston Celtics: 3 questions heading into training camp

3. Where do the rebounds come from?

Over the last three seasons the Boston Celtics have finished outside of the top 10 for rebounding, with two of those seasons were ranked 20th or lower. with the additions of Enes Kanter, Vincent Poirier and others, they are primed to see vast improvements in this area.

During Brad Stevens tenure the Celtics have never been graced with a true rebounder, now they have two big men who can excel at grabbing rebounds in traffic. However, what does this mean for Stevens preferred style of pace-and-space basketball?

Will the game plan be altered to maximize the rebounding ability the team now possesses or will the new big men be expected to shoot from deep this coming year?

Enes Kanter spoke to Alex Kennedy about this very issue during an interview which indicates there will be some form of compromise in how the Celtics utilize their new big men.

While Kanter speaks eagerly of wanting to develop a 3-point-shot, it will also take him further away from the basket — which is where he is most effective.

Aron Baynes developed a somewhat respectable shot during his time in Boston, which allowed him to keep opposing defenses honest. This will likely be the reasoning behind Kanter putting up some shots from behind the arc during the upcoming season.

Furthermore, having multiple lob threats who are capable of running the floor is also going to provide Stevens with a new dimension which he has not had since entering the NBA.

Already a coach who excels at plays directly after a time-out (ATOs), Stevens will have all of training camp and preseason to develop new strategies for getting the ball into a cutting big man’s hands for an easy bucket when the team needs it most.

Spacing is where the question lies though, with the influx of big-men who currently have not shown an ability to stretch the floor how will Boston continue to create space for their shooters?

Kanter becoming reasonable from beyond the arc will go some way to easing the load, while Daniel Theis, Grant Williams and Semi Ojeleye will all be able to hit from deep.

This leaves Porier and Robert Williams as the odd men out in terms of jump shooting, but if they can provide solid minutes where they set hard screens, enable shooters to come off of pin-downs and grab rebounds they should be able to earn some minutes down the stretch.