The Celtics bounced back from an ugly Christmas loss on Friday night with their biggest win of the year over the Pacers despite missing Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. With their hardest stretch of the year awaiting in the next two weeks, Boston will be tested to hold onto a top-2 seed in the East. Let’s dive into some questions about the impact of the Jimmy Butler saga, coaching departures and much more. If you have questions about the Celtics or NBA, email brobb@masslive.com or tweet @briantrobb
Could the Celtics get hurt at all by this Jimmy Butler drama in Miami? Will Pat Riley be ultimately forced to sell on the cheap to some contender in order to salvage a return for him before he walks? —Luke T
What a fun situation to watch unfolding right now from an impartial perspective. On one side, you have an old school executive in Pat Riley that won’t be pushed around by anyone including LeBron James during his tenure with the Heat. On the other side, we have Jimmy Butler seeing the writing on the wall in Miami with a mediocre roster and a team unwilling to give him his last big payday proactively.
Riley came out and said he wasn’t trading Butler amid the trade rumors and Butler has responded by dealing with a “stomach illness” for the past few days and counting. Ultimately, I expect Butler to get his way since the Heat aren’t good enough to keep him around for a final playoff push that isn’t going anywhere.
The good news for the Celtics is that all bets are on Butler heading to the Western Conference if a move is made and that means he can no longer be a thorn in their side during the playoffs, before the Finals at least. It also feels unlikely any true contender will go after him. The Cavs and Knicks are done with their major wheeling and dealing. The Bucks have nothing left to deal. The Thunder aren’t going to take that big of a swing on a rental. Butler could conceivably push the Rockets to a contending level but there’s really not much for the Celtics to fear here no matter how this plays out. If he stays, the Heat should remain an easy first round out. If he’s dealt, the Celtics probably don’t see him in the postseason anyway.
How much, if any, are they missing Charles Lee and in what ways? —Darkhorse314
It’s an intriguing question given how much attention was paid to Joe Mazzulla’s coaching staff two years ago when he was promoted into the position just days before training camp following Ime Udoka’s suspension. Beefing up that coaching staff was a big priority last year and Lee was a part of that. It was a brief stay for Lee in Boston after he got a well deserved chance in Charlotte this summer. The Celtics largely promoted from within to replace him, an understandable tactic to reward a staff that had just won a title.
With the amount of injuries the Celtics have had this year in midst of a 22-8 start, it’s hard to point to the departure of an assistant having any real impact. However, outside of Sam Cassell, it’s fair to note that Mazzulla still has a young stuff around him but the players rave about the assistants top to bottom. It’s hard for me to envision a scenario where coaching (via assistants) makes a measurable impact for this group in the long run. How Mazzulla deals with a few bumps in the road offensively will be interesting to watch in the coming weeks.
Jrue is shooting a career high 2pt% and basically a career low from 3pt%. Do you think this is just random “numbers” that will level out – or do you think it’s time to use him less as an outside threat? More “dunker’s spot” going forward? — JoelVideo
Holiday is definitely a player to watch in the scope of the offense. 26 games is too small of a sample size to get worried about but I think his age and heavier workload in the Olympics could be having a bit of a trickle down impact here. The fact he’s still showing up as more of a bully ball threat than ever against guards down low is encouraging but he’s also taking fewer 2-point attempts (4.5 per game) than any point in his career.
Holiday’s a 37 percent 3-point shooter in his career so the Celtics are certainly not to abandon that shot for him. However a career-high 54 percent shooting rate from 3-point range may be a tad high if these numbers continue. Whether it’s Holiday, Jaylen Brown etc. finding the appropriate equilibrium between the long ball and punishing teams down low will be a fine line. The Celtics will absolutely want to set team records for 3-point shooting if they are a top-5 team from downtown. However, that equation may change a little bit if they are just a middle of the road squad on that front. Holiday’s 3-point shooting is a big turning point in that equation.
Hi Brian,
I have a spicy request. I would like to see more springer minutes. I understand how bad he is on offense but with Pritchard in a big slump, d. in a semi slump, jrue banged up and Jordan Walsh not being ready, I think there’s something In there for springer to see the court. I also am basing off this what I saw in Chicago a week or so ago and really think he can provide some energy/athleticism that the defense needs right now. A
Along with that, Luke kornet has been pretty good on offense but I still think defenders lick their chops when they see him on defense. Maybe neemy isn’t the solution but why not tilman? Tilman being absolutely benched doesn’t make sense he was a legit rotational player in Memphis and they were pretty good. I think there’s a role for both them on defense but I’d like your thoughts.
(Also Sam what is up with Sam hauser, I think father life has caught up to him in a negatively physical way lol)
Thanks brobb, –Sean
Sean bringing the spice! I can see a little bit of a case for giving Springer more of a shake (i.e. a few games in the rotation) but Joe hasn’t been inclined to give him much of a chance. Like you said, his ball pressure against the Bulls was helpful last week but his spacing is a completely liability for the offense unless you want to put the ball in his hands to initiate. Joe understandably hasn’t wanted to do that given his superior options. Maybe throw four elite shooters around him could work but it’s hard to do that if he’s playing with any bench bigs. I think the better bet is he’s dealt in the next month before being given any real rotation minutes (barring injury).
I do think it makes sense to give Tillman another crack at some point here soon too. His offensive numbers are horrendous but he’s also just played 29 minutes total in November. The problem for him is Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta have been playing well most nights so it’s tough to justify giving Tillman minutes over them. I’d rather see those guys get more run though then Mazzulla running up Porzingis and Horford minutes in the dog days of the season right now.
As for Hauser, totally relate to him on new dad life being a game changer. However, I think it’s the back more than the new sleeping hours. He’s been dealing with that now since the summer and that’s not a good sign since anything with the back isn’t an easy or quick fix.
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
