The Boston Celtics don’t have many gaping holes to point at, especially for a team that leads the NBA with 48 wins through the first 61 games played.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have led a starting lineup that’s given teams across the league problems since Opening Night in October. Boston’s already set an NBA record with three wins by 50 or more points in a single season and can close on its No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in the coming weeks before the playoffs commence.
But if there were a weak link worth highlighting, it’d be the reserve unit. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, not fully content with the roster’s initial makeup, added Xavier Tillman Sr. and Jaden Springer at the trade deadline in February for depth purposes. Yet, there’s an interesting idea that Hall of Famer Charles Barkley proposed the team applies.
“They can solve their bench problems very easily. I honestly think they should bring (Kristaps) Porzingis off the bench. Personally, that’s just my personal opinion,” Barkley said on Thursday night’s NBA on TNT pregame show. “… You got Jrue Holiday, Tatum and Brown and Derrick White. Jayson and Jaylen gonna get all the shots. If I needed bench scoring, I would bring Porzingis off the bench. He’s gonna finish the game.”
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Granted, there haven’t been many points outside the opening portion of the season in which Boston’s supporting depth backfired. Guard Payton Pritchard’s found his footing as the bench’s floor general and leads Boston with a 4.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. But once the playoffs begin, rotations become more important and miscues become more costly.
Porzingis, who’s consistently proven to be the best No. 3 scoring option on any roster across the league, would certainly bolster Boston’s bench scoring. The 28-year-old is averaging 20.4 points and shooting 52.5%, but isn’t only helping pitch into the starting unit with points. Porzingis has shot 62% from inside the perimeter, which is vital in stabilizing the offense from leaning to its inefficient 3-point-hungry runs that could harm the Celtics.
That’s exactly why Boston surrendered Marcus Smart to land Porzingis this past offseason in the first place.
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Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla might need to get creative in the playoffs, as he’s done at various points throughout the regular season. But assuming Porzingis is healthy, will Boston really go as far as utilizing him off the bench?
Featured image via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
