Boston’s Big 3
The Celtics join the list of title contenders with three All-Stars entering their prime.
Even with the new collective bargaining agreement forcing front offices to count pennies and balance their books, Big 3s will still be contending for championships next season. Out west, the Suns will field Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. If James Harden has his way, the Clippers could add him to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. There’s also Steph Curry and Klay Thompson with Chris Paul and Draymond Green vying to be the third wheel. In the East, trios are a little more rare. Miami is still trying to get Damian Lillard to join Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Milwaukee kept their championship threesome of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday intact.
And then there’s Boston. They’ve had a Big 3 before. Point guards have cycled through TD Garden to play next to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but it was Marcus Smart who, in the end, took them further than Isaiah Thomas or Kyrie Irving or Kemba Walker ever did.
He wasn’t the most dynamic point guard, but as a starter under Ime Udoka and Joe Mazzulla, Smart was solid for the Celtics. Per Second Spectrum tracking stats at NBA Stats, he registered the most potential assists per game at 10.7 last season and 10.2 the year before. That doesn’t rank him amongst high usage PG’s; Tyrese Haliburton, Trae Young, and James Harden averaged 19.8, 17.2, and 17.1 respectively. However, he was a reliable ball handler in his final two seasons in Boston.
However, those stats are indicative of a system quarterback, not exactly a playmaker. Usage rate shows a clearer picture of where the Celtics offense was generated last season. Tatum and Brown checked in at 31.9% and 30.7% respectively, the only pair of teammates that both rank in the top-15 of the league. Behind them were Brogdon at 22.3%, Smart 17.6%, and White 17.4%. It’s not an unexpected workload for two young stars. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Luka Doncic all hover around 37%.
By creating a new Big Three in Boston, that’ll lessen the burden in hopes of accentuating what Tatum and Brown do best. In Washington last year, the Wizards’ responsibilities broke down like this: Beal (28.8%), Kuzma (27.3%), and Porzingis (27.2%). The trio played only 35 games together, but put up relatively strong numbers as a threesome: a 116.2 offensive rating and a 112.8 defensive rating through 740 minutes. That’s right up there Horford-Tatum-Brown (118.2 OffRtg, 111.7 READMORE