Do the Celtics have a rebounding problem?

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 presently rank seventeenth in defensive rebounding and twentieth in offensive rebounding after being simply exterior the highest ten in each classes final season. Apparently, although, they’ve solely dropped from a 27.1% offensive rebounding price (proportion of their misses that they recovered) final yr to 26.3% this yr, 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 wrongdoer 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 pressured the Celtics into fewer two-big lineups, which naturally will weaken them on the boards, significantly defensively.

The change is extra profound than that, nonetheless. Of the 9 Celtics gamers main the group in taking part in time this yr, six have seen their rebounds per 36 minutes drop by not less than a half rebound:

That’s a giant distinction!

A few of this may be defined away. Neemias Queta went from taking part in towards end-of-bench guys to boxing out starters, for instance (and remains to be rebounding nicely). Tatum’s decline is totally on the offensive aspect, seemingly on account of him jacking up greater than half of his photographs from deep this season.

Different drops, nonetheless, are extra puzzling, and probably 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 dropping some athletic juice?

(Hauser’s notable enhance is sort of completely on account 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 group’s offense scoring at historic ranges, giving 95% as an alternative of 100% on the smaller issues, like boxing out, may be 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 have 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 observe 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 group, however final yr, they have been greater than ok. They fought for free balls, targeted on getting our bodies on opponents, and hungered for any slight benefit they may discover. Proper now, that urge for food isn’t there.