Add Rasheed into the mix and there's a wide range of possible outcomes. You might be getting an All-Star big man, a shooter with spectacular range, a top-notch defender and a vocal leader on the floor. You might also be getting a trash-talking ballhog with a penchant for early foul trouble.
There was reason to suspect, especially early in the season, that the latter scenario was closer to the truth. Sheed was settling for a lot of bad jump shots, he wasn't doing much defensively and his game mainly stayed between the 3-point lines, never getting inside to play like a 6-foot-11 big man should. And perhaps that was out of necessity. He didn't show up to Boston in the best of shape, so maybe he didn't have the speed to get up and down the floor like he did in his prime.
That was then, and this is now. You're still not looking at vintage 2004 Rasheed Wallace, not by a long shot. But you are witnessing a savvy veteran player play his way into shape, just in time for the playoffs.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly what's brought it on, but Rasheed's game is changing for the better. Maybe Doc Rivers sat him down and talked some sense into him. Maybe the positive influence of his veteran teammates, especially the vocal leadership of Kevin Garnett, played a role. Maybe it just came naturally with time — the more Rasheed plays, the better he feels. Maybe it's some combination of all of the above. Whatever it is, it's good news for the Celtics.
If you watch carefully as Sheed comes off the bench in the first quarter each night, you notice the subtle developments in his game. He's passing up shots he used to take, especially that 3-ball from the top of the key that he's always loved so much. He's making smart passes, whereas earlier in the year he didn't seem to care. He's getting inside, both offensively and defensively, and making the plays that an able-bodied big man is supposed to make.
When you've been around the game for as long as Sheed, you understand that stepping up this time of year is what matters most. No one will remember a lazy December if he elevates his game in April and the Celtics go deep in the playoffs. It's the big games in the spring that really count.
Sheed is peaking at just the right time. It's what smart players do.
And make no mistake about it — he's always been a smart player. Even when he's getting technical fouls left and right, when he comes off as surly or apathetic, when he looks lazy physically, he still knows the game mentally. He knows what a good play is and how to make it. It's just a matter of getting his body to carry out what his mind drafts up.
Sheed's savvy and his basketball IQ were a big reason that the Pistons put together a basketball dynasty this decade, reaching the East finals in six straight years and winning an NBA title in 2004. He was a smart, well-rounded piece of a championship team. And he's got a chance to play that role again.
He still isn't perfect. He's still a little bit too much of a perimeter player, and the foul trouble, both with technicals and the regular personal fouls, is always a little worrying. But what we're witnessing is Rasheed working out the kinks, getting his game ready for playoff time.
