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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 13, 2016 2:43:57 GMT -5
Coach Brad was asked during his interview at the game tonight, where he would like to see his team improve. His response was offensive efficiency.
That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone watching this team. Question is how are we going to improve in this area?
Well, we need more gifted scorers; guys who can get you buckets.
We'll also need better shooters; more guys who can drain buckets at a better clip.
We also lack interior scoring, finishing the year near the bottom of the league at shot attempts in the paint.
It would help to get to the free throw line more times per game. We finished 12th in the league in this department.
We still finished as a top 10 offense, in spite of these short comings. I'd like to see us move into the top 5.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jul 13, 2016 6:58:33 GMT -5
Al Horford should help in all of those areas. He's not the complete answer but he should help in everything you mentioned.
Rozier has worked on his shot this summer and that has been evident in Summer League. Kelly will hopefully be healthy and he was shooting the ball very well before the injury. Smart has been working on his shot (according to him - haven't seen evidence yet) Jae said at the end of the season he was going to work on his shot. Both are hard workers and we should see improvement.
There will be improvement in these areas from within. Brown, it seems, gets to the line a lot. There is still time for a trade. I don't expect 100% improvement this year. But it will be improved. Next year, the Celtics can take that leap.
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Post by jmost on Jul 13, 2016 7:45:33 GMT -5
Olynyk seems to be one of those guys who tends to be too deferential. When he's aggressive he's more effective, and a heckuva offensive player. I'd like to see him let loose this year.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 13, 2016 15:38:50 GMT -5
Brad did mention we need to "continue to add guys that can help put the ball in the basket".
So not only internally, but also bringing in guys from the outside who can score and shoot the ball better.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jul 13, 2016 18:19:08 GMT -5
On CSN they mentioned that Gordon Hayward has an opt out after this season. If the Jazz get a feeling that he will opt out and go elsewhere they may be willing to try to trade him sooner rather than later. He was one of Brad's guys at Butler and so may be a natural fit for the Celtics.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 13, 2016 19:44:02 GMT -5
I do think he's a target for us next year. And I would think the interest is mutual.
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Post by oldtimeball on Jul 14, 2016 15:33:53 GMT -5
Utah knows that he is gone.. Wonder what it would take to get Hayward..
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 22, 2016 21:39:25 GMT -5
We have a glaring weakness -- consistent offensive punch outside of the 5'8" Isaiah Thomas.
Maybe we still have interest in Jimmy Butler, who is a 20 ppg scorer in back to back years. Maybe Kris Middleton.
Ainge really needs to beef up this area. Our offense stagnated way too much.
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Post by oldtimeball on Jul 23, 2016 12:32:38 GMT -5
I have mixed feelings. Yes I want to get better offensively but I don't want to do so at the expense of the defense.
To be more efficient we need a true point guard and better rebounding.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jul 23, 2016 13:10:18 GMT -5
I agree oldtimeball Defense wins championships and as you go farther in the playoffs it becomes more and more important. I also would like to keep the defensive core that we have together and add (or develop) shooters to go with them.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 23, 2016 13:46:20 GMT -5
Yes, having a top 5 defense is paramount to true contention.
But where Ainge and Brad knew we needed to address is our lack of quality offense. It put a lot of stress on our defense to keep us in games.
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Post by oldtimeball on Jul 23, 2016 17:22:16 GMT -5
Playoffs expose gimmick systems. The game slows down. In the half court you need two things.. A point guard who knows how to break down a defense efficiently. Rebounding. It helps to have good shooters.
So what I fail to see is where Danny has really systematically added to our needs. His drafts are head shakers.. Role players aren't what we need. We need stars.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 23, 2016 18:36:12 GMT -5
Most times, you will fail to draft stars because in any given draft only a few turn out to be really good, and even less will turn out to be stars.
But even with stars, you need solid role players. I don't discount what Danny has been able to do recently in bringing in solid players who have contributed to our ascent up the standings. But as you say, now it's time to bring in the big guns.
That is the trickiest part. Trading up isn't as easy as it sounds.
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Post by oldtimeball on Jul 23, 2016 20:11:28 GMT -5
I agree. Fleecing someone is what we need. Dallas who do you have left lol.?.
The one good thing about a trade is you don't have competition for a player. And you pay a price to have control..
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 23, 2016 20:56:01 GMT -5
One guy who we can try to trade for is Gordon Hayward. But he's a free agent next summer, so if we wait it out, we can get him for free. I'm sure he'd jump at the chance to play for Brad, as well as an organization that is closing in on contending.
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