Author Archives: @johndavogel

About @johndavogel

New Orleans Saints Team Editor at Full Press Coverage. Celtics Writer/Editor here at Boston Sports Extra. I love football more then almost anything. Basketball is a close second. Filmaholic. Roman Catholic. Damn Right.

What Will Aron Baynes’ Role Look Like This Season?

Leave a reply

Aron Baynes broke onto the scene last season as a serious impact player for the Boston Celtics. The New Zealand born 6’10, 260 pound big man appeared in all but one game for Boston last season, and started 67 matches. At the ripe age of 32 this season, Baynes appears to be leaving the stages of his prime and beginning his regression towards the depths of retirement.

Baynes entered the league at an older than normal age, debuting with the San Antonio Spurs on January 25th, 2013. He was undrafted out of Washington State. After spending three years with the Spurs, he signed with the Detroit Pistons where he spent the next two years. Last season was his first as a Celtic.

After playing so much time last year, the Boston faithful have to wonder if he will provide a similar impact this season. To really give you a good answer, we need to understand why he did so well last year for this team.

What role did Aron Baynes play last season?

Embed from Getty Images

It only took five minutes for Gordon Hayward’s season to be over with a busted ankle. When Hayward went down, minutes opened up in the forward positions.

Jayson Tatum ended up playing the small forward position more then originally planned, and he did well. However, Marcus Morris started the first several games at the power forward. Head coach Brad Stevens felt that Morris would be better coming off of the bench and started giving the starting nod to Baynes, who brought a fierce defensive presence to the starting rotation.

Baynes ended up averaging 18 minutes per game and 6 points, while holding a defensive rating of 103. He also helped tremendously with second chance points, as he averaged 1.6 offensive boards per game. He shot 47% from the field for the season and 75% from the free throw line.

Will he see the field like that this season?

Embed from Getty Images

Aron Baynes is a great complimentary piece to any team, and could probably start on half of the teams in the Eastern Conference. However, Baynes plays for the Boston Celtics, who have arguably the best roster, from top to bottom, in the NBA right now.

The minutes that Baynes had won’t be there this season. Between Hayward returning (providing he stays healthy), Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Morris, there isn’t a lot of time available. I would imagine that Stevens will move him to Center and play him between Al Horford and rookie big man Robert Williams III.

However, Aron Baynes will still make his presence felt on the court.

Main Image Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Do the Celtics have a Better Future then the Warriors?

Leave a reply

The Boston Celtics are a very young team looking up and only scratching the surface of their potential. With young rising stars like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier on the roster locked up long term, one can only wonder how far this team can go in the future.

Right now, Boston seems to have the perfect balance of depth of new and experienced on the team. Still led by stars like Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, Boston is expected to appear in the NBA Finals this season. Anything less is a disappointment.

If this team reaches the Finals, they should face off against the Golden State Warriors, a squad who has simply dominated the NBA landscape the last five years. With a plethora of All-Stars on their team, they have been nearly unstoppable, especially so since the addition of Kevin Durant.

However, the question begs to be asked, let alone answered. Who has the brighter future? Boston or Golden State?

To properly answer the question, we must analyze the structures of each teams future. Each team has positives and negatives to assess to the situation.

Boston’s Young, Star Talent

Embed from Getty Images

Boston is loaded with young, star talent. As mentioned before, the best young players on the squad are Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Terry Rozier. Certainly, don’t forget about rookie Robert Williams III or Semi Ojeleye. Both of those players are extremely talented but probably won’t see the court too much next year.

Marcus Smart just signed a four-year deal this past off-season, locking him up through the 2021-22 season. Terry Rozier will probably be the team’s next target, as his contract expires next season. Brown is good for the next two seasons, Tatum for the next three. Undoubtedly, Boston will sign the two of them to mega deals when their contracts expire.

The Celtics really sit in a good place, firmly in the driver’s seat, with the structure of their roster. Gordon Hayward, one of head coach Brad Stevens former college players, is locked into his deal through the 2020-21 season, providing the team with much-needed leadership and experience. Although Kyrie Irving will probably leave after this season or be traded through the season, Boston has the depth to deal with his loss.

Golden State, however, is running out

Embed from Getty Images

Golden State used to rely on young talent to play well. The group of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green won them a Finals series against LeBron James and the full force of the Cleveland Cavaliers the first go around by themselves. However, with the addition of Kevin Durant and then signing Curry to a mega-deal, Golden State now finds themselves in a bind for money.

Golden State has Draymond Green signed through for the next two years, but next year Klay Thompson will be a free agent. Durant may not return for less money for a third straight year. New All-Star addition Boogie Cousins may not stick around either after next year.

This would potentially leave Golden State with Steph and Draymond, and not too much young talent. Two young players have shown potential, those guys being Jordan Bell and Kevon Looney. Neither player is quite the caliber of a Jaylen Brown prospect, but talented nonetheless. Jacob Evans was added this year in the draft and might turn into a fine young player. Regardless, Golden State could lose a lot of depth next year, especially if things don’t work out well for the team this season.

Next season could be a drastically different game

Embed from Getty Images

If Klay and Boogie Cousins were to walk next year, here is what the starting lineups could end up looking like next year:

Golden State:
PG Steph Curry
SG Kevon Looney
SF Kevin Durant
PF Draymond Green
C Jordan Bell
6th Damien Jones

Boston:
PG Marcus Smart
SG Jaylen Brown
SF Gordon Hayward
PF Jayson Tatum
C Al Horford
6th Robert Williams

Let’s just ask the question. Which team are you taking? For the record, I would indeed be taking Boston in this lineup. It has more big-play potential from every corner, while Golden State is relying on its stars to get through the game.

In summary, I think it’s very clear who has the better, brighter future. The Celtics. It’s a runaway conclusion. The era of Golden State dominating the NBA week in and week out is almost to a close. The better news? The Celtics are in a position to capitalize.

Why Brad Stevens is the Most Underrated Coach in the NBA

Leave a reply

When will Brad Stevens catch a break? After guiding Boston to the Eastern Conference Finals the past two seasons with a depleted squad each year, some analysts are refusing to acknowledge Stevens as a bona fide coach in NBA ranks.

To understand the truth to this matter, we need to break down the accomplishments that Stevens has achieved during his tenure in Boston.

The first year in Boston

Embed from Getty Images

Brad Stevens got the opportunity to coach for Boston after a very successful tenure in the college ranks as the head coach of Butler. After a national championship run that fell short in the 2012-13 season, Stevens was interviewed by multiple NBA teams.

Stevens landed the Boston job on July 3rd, 2013. Does anyone remember any of the players from that 2013-14 squad? Going, going and gone. I didn’t think so.

Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley played the guards, but Rondo was hurt the majority of the season so Jordan Crawford moved into the starting role. I repeat- Jordan Crawford. Jared Sullinger played center, only after Kris Humphries got hurt. Brandon Bass and Jeff Green held down the forward positions.

The team crawled to a miserable 25-57 record and finished fourth in the Atlantic Division.

The 2014-15 Season

Embed from Getty Images

The Celtics added Tyler Zeller to play the five, and Evan Turner replaced Jeff Green after an injury. Late in the season, Boston traded for Isaiah Thomas, with intension to have him come off the bench. The young Celtics started to emerge, with Thomas averaging 19 points per game off the bench. Avery Bradley becoming a reliable 2nd option, then Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk all earning more playing time throughout the season.

Boston went 40-42, sneaking into the playoffs just to be swept under the rug by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Pieces come together

Embed from Getty Images

Stevens liked the youth on his team. Boston allowed the older players to leave and started adding multitudes of young talent. Terry Rozier, Jordan Mickey and Jaylen Brown arrived to the squad. Isaiah Thomas became an offensive star and suddenly had a ton of offensive talent around him. Crowder, Bradley and the addition of Al Horford at center proved to be extremely useful. Boston made their first Eastern Conference Finals run in the 2016-17 season, without Thomas who had fallen victim to an ankle injury halfway through the playoff run.

The team leaned on Smart and Rozier to shoulder the load, which they did well. However, Boston was unable to contain both Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, and fell again in game six, again, to the Cavaliers.

The 2017-18 Season

Embed from Getty Images

This season, the Celtics were truly primed to make a big run. They added Duke star Jayson Tatum to their lineup. Kyrie Irving was acquired from Cleveland. Boston signed Gordon Hayward from the Utah Jazz in free agency. This squad was so loaded, it didn’t seem like they could fall short of a title run.

Alas, disaster struck. Hayward went down with a broken ankle five minutes into the first game while Kyrie missed the entire month of April and the entirety of the playoffs. Instead, the team leaned on Tatum and Jaylen Brown to carry the load, which they did admirably. They went toe to toe in a seven game matchup with the Cavaliers before falling, 87-79.

What does Brad Steven have to do?

Embed from Getty Images

What does Brad Stevens really have to prove? What accomplishment does he have to achieve before people outside of Boston recognize how gifted this man truly is?

Let’s explore some of his former players to see how they are faring with other teams. Jae Crowder? All but forgotten in Utah. Avery Bradley? Traded to the Detroit Pistons and then to the Los Angeles Clippers later in the season. Isaiah Thomas? Now on his fourth team in the last two years (Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles Lakers and now the Denver Nuggets.

Stevens takes talent and finds the best way to play them and then he utilizes each player to his strength. What other coaches have done well in doing that? San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is about the only one that comes to mind.

Brad Stevens took a team missing two NBA All-Stars to the Conference Finals and then leaned on a rookie forward to lead his team into game seven. That accomplishment alone is incredible! All we hear about is how Brad Stevens doesn’t yet belong on the list of elite NBA coaches.

I beg to differ. He definitely does.