The Boston Celtics Have Some Rebounding Woes
It’s only been three games, but the Boston Celtics face an uphill battle when it comes to out-rebounding opponents.
Rebounding has been an issue for the Boston Celtics for a good few years now, they’ve never quite had a Tristan Thompson on their roster. Even when this team is healthy they still struggle to rebound. Marcus Smart helps out on the boards, but Kelly Olynyk doesn’t really make too much of an impact for a 7-footer.
Everyone knew coming in that Al Horford wasn’t going to be the rebound guy. He doesn’t pull down 15 rebounds a game. However, at $113 million, he needs to be more aggressive.
We saw Avery Bradley snatch 11 rebounds Saturday night against Charlotte, which was huge. Due to the lack of size, the C’s need to make a strong effort every single game for rebounds.
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The biggest example of the rebounding problem? The Bulls game.
Guys were just pulling down rebounds for Chicago that the Celtics should have ripped down. It has Brad Stevens switching big men around to try and find a guy who’s going to be a big rebounder.
I have no doubts that if Ben Simmons was healthy, talks between Philly would already be heating up. Who’s to say they might not be now?
I fully believe Danny is keeping his eye on Nerlens Noel in Philadelphia. His 11 points and eight rebounds are solid, but because he’s so young there’s no reason not to try it. He’s not the answer to the rebounding problems, but he’d definitely help.
The focus right now though is on who’s currently on the roster. Brad Stevens played Jordan Mickey Saturday night to see if he could provide a boost. He had three points, two rebounds and an assist in eight minutes.
It might be time for Mickey to start slowly getting a few consistent minutes a game. We’ve seen his shot blocking ability, and he’s athletic enough to really rebound the ball. I think the question is mostly on the offensive end for Stevens.
Next: When Will Smart And Olynyk Return?
Three games into the season is no means to panic at all, this team is going to get a lot better. But if they want to hang with the Cavs, the Boston Celtics rebounding needs a definite fix.