Delonte West: Swiss Army Guard

Posted by Ryan DeGama on Nov 18, 2010 1079923 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2010%2F11%2F18%2Fdelonte-west-swiss-army-guard%2FDelonte+West%3A+Swiss+Army+Guard2010-11-18+21%3A13%3A19Ryan+DeGamahttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D10799

Everyone seems to agree that Kevin Garnett is a consummate Celtic. Even when he was toiling away in McHale’s Navy in Minnesota, something about him felt connected to Boston. Having seen his transformative effect on the Celtics franchise, we can now compare him to Bill Russell with a little less trepidation. If only he’d spent the entire last decade in Boston, instead of just the last three seasons…

Delonte West, who returned last night, carries the same vibe about him, if not the same talent. From the moment Danny Ainge drafted him with the 24^th pick back in 2004, Delonte brought  a certain toughness and tenacity, and a multi-faceted set of skills to the table. He felt like a Celtic from the outset. However, that team, ensconced in a multi-year rebuild, was the wrong setting for West’s skills to have an optimal impact. That group was hunting for top-of-the-rotation superstars, not looking for complimentary pieces.

But that’s all changed. And when the final tale of the 2010-11 Boston Celtics is written, West’s place in the narrative may be as the game-changing x-factor. He’s a near starting level talent at a bargain basement price (if only for this year) and he’s a perfect fit for this group.

In his hysterical game recap, Hayes appropriately warned about reading too much into last night’s evisceration of Washington.

But even one game in – West comes off like the Swiss Army knife of backup guards. Look what he brings to the table:

He can play off the ball or he can trigger the offense. He can guard both backcourt positions and you wouldn’t feel awful about putting him on elite scorers at the 3 for short stretches (think 5-10 minutes per game against Lebron James in the playoffs). He’s a threat from the arc (career 37.5 3P%) and the free throw line (81.8% career), both of which give Doc Rivers versatility in end of quarter/game situations where West could spell Rondo and provide an extra shooter on the floor when they, for example, go into Pierce ISO mode.

West’s also a plus-rebounder for his position and in a sort of a mirror-image tribute to the disinterested Wizards defenders from last night – Delonte’s going to be a very good help defender in this system.

And while we’re piling on the superlatives, we doesn’t it seem like Delonte’s a solid backcourt match for any other guard on this roster?

Last night he checked in (to a nice ovation) with 3:12 left in the first quarter and slipped into the 2-guard spot beside Rajon Rondo. You lose less than you think versus Ray Allen there. Delonte’s at least as strong a defender as Allen and despite Allen’s berserk start from the arc (45.3%) you still have to D up on West or he can knock down that shot.

In the second quarter, West mostly played the 2-spot beside Nate Robinson, and by the second half of the fourth quarter, as often as not, he was triggering the offense and leading the break.

Forget about game-to-game. On a possession by possession basis, West can make different plays that can swing a ballgame. For example, twice in the fourth quarter, Delonte spotted up on the weak side of the floor by the three-point-line while Nate Robinson initiated the offense. When that broke down, they swung the ball to Delonte who on one occasion made a nice drive to the basket for a layup and on another slipped through a Washington Monument-size hole in the defense and dished to a rolling Semih Erden. Later – he found Nate Robinson cutting along the baseline for an easy layup.

West’s final line: 5-7 from the floor (2-2 from the arc), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 12 points. Modest lines with significant game impact – that’s what we’re hoping to see with West.

The bottom line (at the end of the day) is that West’s good-at-a-lot-of-things, not-great-at-anything skillset will both maximize those of his teammates (see the developing chemistry with Nate Robinson) and be maximized by his teammates (particularly in any minutes he plays with the first unit).

Any other observations/raves/complaints about #13? Let’s hear ‘em.