Do the Celtics have a rebounding downside?

The Boston Celtics’ early season has gone roughly as all of us anticipated: lengthy stretches of informal dominance marred by a few slip-ups. But when there’s one bugaboo that’s constantly reared its ugly head, it’s rebounding issues on either side of the ground.

The Celtics at the moment rank seventeenth in defensive rebounding and twentieth in offensive rebounding after being simply outdoors the highest ten in each classes final season. Curiously, although, they’ve solely dropped from a 27.1% offensive rebounding charge (proportion of their misses that they recovered) final 12 months to 26.3% this 12 months, a minuscule change in absolute phrases. On the defensive finish, nonetheless, they’ve declined from recovering 73.8% of opponent’s misses to simply 71.4% this season, a a lot bigger shift.

The obvious offender is the continued absence of Kristaps Porzingis. Though Porzingis is hardly a dominant rebounder (for causes each tactical and inherent to his sport), his absence has compelled the Celtics into fewer two-big lineups, which naturally will weaken them on the boards, notably defensively.

The change is extra profound than that, nonetheless. Of the 9 Celtics gamers main the crew in enjoying time this 12 months, six have seen their rebounds per 36 minutes drop by at the very least a half rebound:

That’s a giant distinction!

A few of this may be defined away. Neemias Queta went from enjoying in opposition to end-of-bench guys to boxing out starters, for instance (and remains to be rebounding effectively). Tatum’s decline is totally on the offensive aspect, possible as a result of him jacking up greater than half of his pictures from deep this season.

Different drops, nonetheless, are extra puzzling, and doubtlessly regarding. Pritchard used to have a bloodhound’s nostril for the ball; the place did that go? Is Horford struggling to carry floor because the lone massive? Is Vacation shedding some athletic juice?

(Hauser’s notable enhance is nearly fully as a result of a bounce in offensive boards, an indication of the teaching employees’s belief in him to hunt the occasional carom from the nook with out compromising transition protection.)

Maybe a few of that is the dreaded championship hangover. With the crew’s offense scoring at historic ranges, giving 95% as a substitute of 100% on the smaller issues, like boxing out, is perhaps tempting.

No matter it’s, opponents are outrebounding the Celtics on the season. They’ve misplaced the battle of the boards in seven of their 12 video games, together with in all three of their losses. It was by no means uglier than within the Hawks sport, when the Celtics had been merely outworked. This could not occur:

And, after all, Boston misplaced the sport on a tip-in within the closing seconds (I’ll spare you having to look at that nightmare once more.)

Rebounding is as a lot about scheme and personnel as it’s effort, regardless of what coaches need to inform you. However attempting is a giant a part of it. Boston won’t ever be an elite rebounding crew, however final 12 months, they had been greater than ok. They fought for free balls, targeted on getting our bodies on opponents, and hungered for any slight benefit they might discover. Proper now, that urge for food isn’t there.