Bench boost: Four players who are turbo-charging Celtics' second unit originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Considering all the consternation about the Boston Celtics’ depth following their summer roster overhaul, maybe the most surprising aspect of their climb to No. 2 in the Eastern Conference has been how much they’ve been able to lean on their depth pieces.
The Celtics, winners of four straight and eight of their last nine overall, have routinely leaned on a 10-man rotation in recent weeks, and that’s with early season starter Josh Minott struggling to break free from the land of DNPs.
The C’s are now 17-3 whenever their bench generates 35+ points this season (and 6-9 when they don’t). What’s more, Boston is 18-2 when the bench makes at least seven 3-pointers (and 5-10 when they don’t).
Over the last eight games, Boston’s bench production is up to 41.9 points per game, with bench players shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 42.6 percent beyond the 3-point arc. Celtics reserves are averaging 7.9 3-point makes per game over that span.
Boston’s bench players are a combined +80 in that span. The next-closest bench unit is Detroit’s at +44.
Boston’s recent bench boost coincidences with the resurgence of Luka Garza, who overcame his own DNP stretch to reenergize the Celtics’ reserve groups. Offseason addition Anfernee Simons looks more comfortable in his bench role and shoulders the offensive burden, while Garza, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh fly around injecting a little bit of chaos into every possession.
Given Boston’s bench success, here’s one notable way each of the four primary bench players have impacted winning:
Simons says… defense?
Simons’ offensive credentials are well-established. He erupted for 27 points in the second half against the Bulls to ensure the Celtics got to the finish line of a win on a night where Jaylen Brown and Derrick White were struggling with their offensive efficiency.
But Joe Mazzulla keeps making it a point to highlight Simons’ defensive efforts.
The NBA’s defensive tracking data suggests that opponents are shooting a team-worst 36.7 percent against Simons over the last eight games. He’s holding opponents to a team-best 8.4 percent below expected field goal percentage in that span.
The Celtics have done a good job hiding Simons. The folks at the stat-tracking site BBall Index suggest he ranks 486th out of 506 players this season in matchup difficulty. But Simons also deserves credit for his defensive toughness. He’s fighting through screens, he’s staying attached to cutters, and he’s doing all he can to repair a reputation as an uninterested defender.
Simons limits his fouls — something he’s done throughout his NBA career — and when he stays close to his assignment, he’s making things difficult.
Opponents are shooting 1.7 percent less than expected on all of his contested shots, and 4.5 below expected at the rim. Both marks rank in the 83rd percentile or better for his position.
Hugo and the o-boards
The Celtics are gathering offensive rebounds on a staggering 46 percent of their missed shots while the 19-year-old Gonzalez is on the floor over their last eight games. For context, the Houston Rockets lead the NBA with an offensive rebound percentage of 40.8, while the Celtics slot sixth overall at 33.6 percent.
Gonzalez and his relentless motor can often be seen streaking from the corner in hopes of extending possessions. Even when he doesn’t corral the miss, the chaos he creates throwing himself into the big-man mosh pit can often create second-chance opportunities for Boston.
Individually, Gonzalez corrals rebounds on 6.6 percent of his team’s missed shots while he’s on the court, which ranks in the 88th percentile among all wings, per Cleaning the Glass data. Gonzalez’s ability to help clean the glass has been vital for a Celtics team that lacks pure size, particularly off the bench.
One more notable number for Gonzalez: The Celtics have a defensive rating of 96.5 during his 165 minutes of floor time over the last eight games. That’s the best mark on the team by nearly 5 points.
Garza’s bone-crunching screens
Garza’s been a force since rejoining the rotation, averaging 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds over 21.9 minutes per game over his last eight outings. What’s more, he’s shooting 54.5 percent on 3-pointers in that span.
But his biggest impact is generating quality looks for everyone else on the roster.
Garza leads the NBA with 41 screen assists since December 20. That’s five more than the next-closest player (Sacramento’s Maxime Raynaud, 36). Garza’s 96 screen points generated also tops the NBA in that span, with the next closest player being Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert at 81 screen assist points.
For the season, Garza is averaging 6.6 screen assists per 36 minutes. That’s the second-best per-36 number in the league, trailing only Dallas’ Dwight Powell (8.2). Garza is content to set screens and either roll like a maniac to the basket, or pop free for an open 3-point look.
The Celtics are outscoring opponents by a team-best 28.5 points per 100 possessions during Garza’s 175 minutes of floor time over the past eight games.
Baylor taking charge(s)
Like Simons, fans will tend to fixate on Baylor Scheierman’s offensive output (and he’s actually been highly efficient while shooting 42 percent on 3s this season). But he’s quietly emerging as a defensive pest with the way he’s goading opponents into offensive fouls.
Scheierman, despite limited playing time, is second on the team with 11 offensive fouls drawn. Only Derrick White (19) has drawn more this season, and the next-closest is Gonzalez at six.
Scheierman has a knack for taking a charge in a key spot or getting a whistle while getting jostled by a moving screen. He ranks in the 99th percentile for his position while generating 1.6 offensive fouls per 100 possessions.
