A Little Forward Thinking
Posted by Brendan Jackson on Sep 15, 2010
On Monday, the Celtics Season Previews came out and nearly every blogger pinpointed the same weaknesses: age, health, and depth at the small forward position. Going into last season, the Celtics looked like they had solved all their problems regarding their depth on the wing. J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker were one year older and presumably one year better and they signed Marquis Daniels. In 2009, Daniels started in 43 games for the Pacers and averaged career highs in points per game (14), rebounds per game (5) and assists per game (2). All signs pointed to Daniels being quite the coup for Danny Ainge and crew given the fact that Daniels had agreed to come to Boston for the meager bi-annual exception.
A perceived strength going into the 2010 season has now become universally accepted as one of the Celtics’ biggest weaknesses. Just read what the other Celtics Bloggers had to say about the small forward position:
“And of course our biggest fear should be at the small forward spot. Paul Pierce has been durable… but durability only lasts so long. And when your backup, sadly, is made of paper mache’, there’s a little big of a concern that we’ll have some patchwork filling-in to do at the 3. Considering the number of really good 3’s out there… that’s not an appetizing proposition.” – Red’s Army
“The biggest weakness at this point seems to be at the small forward position behind Paul Pierce.”- Celtics Life
“SF depth.” - Celtics247
Whether it be clever like Red’s Army, matter-of-fact like Celtics Life, or blunt like Celtics 24/7, they are all saying the same thing: the Celtics are painfully thin on the wing. This issue for the C’s is only highlighted further when you juxtapose the Celtics depth at the wing with a team like the Pacers (Marquis Daniels’ former team no less):
Celtics
The Celtics have three clear shooting guards, two clear small forwards, and one guy who will not make the team.
Pacers
The Pacers, on the other hand, have a ton of versatility. Dunleavy, Rush, and Jones are all big enough to defend the small forward position and Granger and George are good enough from the outside to play shooting guard. A virtual small forward heaven (for James Posey’s career, that metaphor may hit too close to home).
The Celtics started the 2010 season with three small forwards under contract and ended up implementing Tony Allen as Paul Pierce’s backup. This was highly undesirable at the time but ended up paying dividends when Allen was able to use his quickness and defensive mentality to guard the leagues best (LeBron James, Kobe Byrant). Now, Allen has signed with Memphis so as to not be “over-shadowed” and the Celtics now have proven small forward off the bench. It seems less likely that the Celtics will employ a Tony Allen-type to play some small forward given their current options. According to 82games, Delonte West has never played the small forward position and Von Wafer has been used their sparingly.
Barring a trade or in season acquisition (a la Michael Finley, and we all know how that turned out), the Celtics will have to rely on Marquis Daniels to stay healthy and step it up this season. Given this reality, let’s explore the ways the Celtics can maximize Daniels production:
1) Allow Daniels to log some court time with the starters.
According to 82games, the five man units that are most productive with Daniels on the floor include four starters- obviously. Despite this fact most-likely being universal for every player in the league, the bottom line is that Daniels came into last season with high expectations. He was to be the backup point guard. He was to defend the league’s best swingmen. He was supposed to provide offense when needed. This year is far different. His one role this year will be to play the backup small forward, predominantly on the defensive end. When Daniels is not the best player on the court, he really reaps the benefits by using his basketball savvy to get in the lane and do some damage.
One consistency for Daniels’ success has been sharing the court with stretch fours whether it be playing alongside Troy Murphy, Al Harrington, Jermaine O’Neal, or Dirk Nowitzki. Knowing this, it would behoove the Celtics to insert Daniels into lineups featuring Jermaine O’Neal and Kevin Garnett, and shy away from lineups that include Glen Davis and Shaquille O’Neal.
2) Let Him Play
For one reason or another, it was hard for Daniels to get on the court last season. After being injured for most of the season, he failed to generate the necessary chemistry intrinsic for playoff success. So he sat on the bench and when he did get in the game, he was immediately got knocked out of the game- literally. Talk about being born under a bad sign. At any rate, anyone who knows Daniels’ game knows that he is at his best when he just goes out and plays, specifically in a motion offense. His success playing in a motion offense gives credence to his reputation for being versatile. He sees the floor well, he diagnoses defenses well, and he takes care of the ball.
Last year, Daniels also seemed frustrated by the men in black and white. It’s hard enough to have to defend the games’ best, but when ticky-tack fouls become pervasive it’s hard to stay positive. The most memorable on court moments for Daniels last year was rolling his eyes and removing his mouth guard after a blown whistle. When a player is trying to stay on the court for injury reasons, having to come off for any other reason is devastating.
Remember, if Daniels plays 20 minutes a game that’s 20 less minutes Paul Pierce is playing.
3) Don’t Make Him the De Facto Shooter
While Daniels has the ability to knock down shots, he just does not have it in him to be the only shooter on the floor. Daniels is a career 24% shooter from deep and that is abysmal (Basketball-Reference) however, he has fared well as the off guard with a shoot-first point guard. Look for Daniels to log a lot of minutes with Nate Robinson.
4) For the Love of Jobu, Keep Him Healthy
This is not really something the Celtics can control but it also cannot be understated. With the small forward depth being as it is, the Celtics need Daniels to stay healthy and productive.
Do you see the Celtics making any moves to add a small forward either before or during the season? If so how? Who gets cut?
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