Boston Celtics need their bench mob to deliver next season – NBA Feature Part 1
The Boston Celtics made it all the way to the Eastern Conference last season but their ambitious journey came to an end after seven testing games with the Miami Heat.
One of the major things that prevented Boston from being truly dominant on the court was the lack of depth on their roster. As talented as the starting line up was, Celtics had to rely on the individual brilliance of Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett throughout, especially in the second half of the season.
It was because of this fact that coach Doc Rivers made the decision to put Ray Allen in a bench role. However, a secondary role did not sit well with Allen and led him to join Miami over the summer thus bringing an end to the Big Three era in Boston.
However, despite the departure of Allen, Boston has gone on to keep their title aspirations alive by putting together a much deeper roster as compared to last. And no matter how much attention the stars may draw towards themselves, it is the second unit production which will decide what kind of chances the Celtics have for winning another NBA Championship.
The Celtics would hope that the likes of Avery Bradley and Jason Terry will continue to live up to their potential and help out the first unit by taking the pressure off of them by keeping the games competitive during their absence.
Jeff Green
Jeff Green’s arrival with the Celtics has not been what he hoped for after his arrival from the Oklahoma City Thunder which saw Kendrick Perkins go the other way. He was unable to live up to his promise as he missed the entire last season’s campaign because of surgery.
However, Green is set to return this season and has only recently agreed to ink a new deal worth $36 million. He would hope that he could be as efficient as was with OKC with his performances which saw him average 15.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
One of the major factors on which Green can be off great help to the Celtics is the way he can play on the defensive end. Boston will need him to play a supporting role to Paul Pierce who has not been the same since his injury suffered before Game 4 against Atlanta Hawks during last season.
If Green is able to fulfil his defensive responsibilities combined with his scoring prowess, he can be a great asset to the Celtics chances at winning a title next season.
Brandon Bass
Brandon Bass was constantly on the rise during last season but as he grew in with the Celtics schemes, so did his production on the court.
He proved to be vital addition to the Boston starting line up as he helped open up the floor rather well allowing Rondo to make drives at the basket. However, it was his post game which was not up to the mark.
So in order for him to be a better asset for the Celtics title aspirations, Bass will have to improve his post up skills which will not only help him in getting easy scores but also allow Garnett some valuable breathing time.
Another thing which Bass will need to work on is his rebounding capabilities. He played his defensive responsibilities very well but his lack of rebounding was one of the major setbacks in his game and needs to change for the Celtics to improve from last time around.
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