Opportunities are right in front of you! Celtics lineup has changed a lot, five young players have a good opportunity to get ahead

Translator's note: The original text was published in The Athletic, and the data in the article were as of the time of the original text (September 11 local time). The dates and times involved were all local time

Last season, the Celtics retained every rotation player in the winning lineup. They don't have room for unproven players to explode.

But they have it now. Here are the five candidates most likely to explode in the Celtics lineup. In this article, those players with long-term experience in the NBA will not be considered. While some Celtic veterans may play their best seasons in their careers with more responsibilities, they have achieved too much in the NBA to not fit the theme of this article.

1, Nimias Kota

After serving as the substitute for Christaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Connet last season, Kota may jump from fourth center to start. He should be the main beneficiary of the Celtics' many frontcourt players leaving the team.

After a successful European Championship journey, he averaged 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steals, while leading the Portuguese men's basketball team into the knockout stage of the event for the first time in history - Kota will face pressure to solve the instability that has plagued him early in his career. Despite these issues, Kota has been efficient in the interior and rebounding for four seasons in the NBA. If he can get a full season of rotation, it is no surprise that he ends up at the top of the league's offensive rebounding list.

The increase in Kota's playing time should bring a statistic shift to the Celtics. They ranked 18th in offensive rebounding percentage last season, but with Kota and Luka Garza playing a big role, they have a chance to make a leap in rankings. When Kota was on the court last season, the Celtics had an offensive rebounding rate of 33%, which can rank among the top three in the league. He and Garza were top offensive rebounders throughout their careers, unlike the two centers they will replace (Porzingis and Horford). While those two players will be missed in many other ways, that is not the case with offensive rebounds. Can

Cota also helps the Celtics improve their ability to make opponents' mistakes? As a team, the Celtics seem to be focusing on a more destructive style of defense. Kota, whose plays flexibly and versatile can help the team achieve this goal. When he was on the court last season, the Celtics forced their opponents to make a considerable 15.2% round percentage. And when Porzingis and Horford were on the court, the team could hardly make mistakes.

2. After signing with the Celtics this summer, Garza did not hide his excitement for the opportunity in front of him.

"I feel like I learned a lot from those types of players when I was with the Timberwolves, but I think it's time to look for opportunities," he said in July. "I feel that in the limited opportunities I can get, I can show myself well and maximize those opportunities. But for me, going to a place where I can get more of that opportunity is my top priority."

While playing for the Timberwolves, his limited playing time also brings some optimistic reasons, despite Garza's seldom playing behind a few well-known inside players. His career offensive rebounding percentage (15.9%) could rank second in the NBA among all eligible players if placed last season. During his three seasons with the Timberwolves, he scored 25.8 points and 9.1 rebounds every 36 minutes.

Although this was taken in a very small sample size of 584 minutes in total, he has been able to leave his mark on the game offensively. (Yes, a possible frontcourt contributor in the new season of the Celtics has only played 584 minutes in total in the last three seasons. Yes, that may be a bad sign for the team. Despite this, like Kota, Garza has been efficient when she is on the court.)

Can Garza stand it on the defensive end? Maybe not! Will he make a lot of three-pointers or can he really make some? Who knows! But he should be able to fill the statistics table, and the Celtics will use it to evaluate whether he deserves to be part of the team's long-term plan.

3. Baylor Sherman

The Celtics' most lacking in the frontcourt is opportunities. Such opportunities for appearances do not always exist on the outside, as Celtics coach Joe Mazula will have enough veterans to rely on on the outside. Nevertheless, the depth of the Celtics on the flank will soon become stretched. At least on a shortage of staff, young wingers should get a chance to play. And if the team encounters serious injury problems, these opportunities will only increase exponentially.

Others will also compete for wing minutes outside Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser, but Sherman may prioritize opportunities after winning the trust of the coaching staff at the end of last season. When he got a stable playing time in the late regular season, his performance was excellent, worthy of Brad Stevens' praise on draft night. At that time, Stevens said that he did not look at the age of reshow (Sheerman is one of the older players among the same rookies), but he valued the players' competitive consciousness and mental outlook more.

"We will prioritize players in the draft who we think are really good and are in the style of our team in terms of physical confrontation, competitive spirit and tenacity," Stevens said. "Baylor's performance last season fits that, but I think Baylor was very slow at the beginning. He struggled to play at the beginning, but then I think he played very well at the end of the season and we're excited about his future. ”

Sheerman needs to prove that he can hit shots stably, but his contribution in the game is much more than that. His passing ability shines last season, and the Celtics appreciate the sharpness he showed on the court. With Jason Tatum's absence, the Celtics will have a loophole in defensive rebounds, and Sherman, who has the most defensive rebounds in his career, may help the team solve this problem.

4, Josh Minnot

Although Minot has three seasons of experience, he will not turn 23 until November. Much like Garza, he has never gotten much chance at the Timberwolves, but at the Celtics, he may be ready.

Although Minot needs to improve his outside shooting ability (including his three-point numbers have been ugly in the G League), he should be able to get forward position play time with his 6-foot-8 (about 2.03 meters) height and excellent athleticism. He looks like an unusual defensive all-rounder who can contribute steals and blocks at a high frequency during extremely limited playtime.

If the Celtics do want to make more mistakes as they say, then sending him on the court might help. He is a natural disruptor, as Derek White deeply realized in his January win over the Timberwolves.

If the offensive problem doesn't keep him on the bench , then his defense should help the Celtics who lost a lot of talent on the defensive end in the offseason.

5, Jordan Walsh

Another player who has a chance to gain a foothold on the field with defense is Walsh, who should compete with Minnot and Sherman. Rookie Ugo Gonzalez Pena may also be involved in the outside rotation, but don't be surprised if the young man needs more training.

Author: Jay King

Translator: GWayNe