BOSTON – For all you stat junkies out there, we at Celtics.com have investigated beyond the traditional statistics to uncover the Celtics’ leaders in some of the more obscure, advanced statistical categories this past season. Take a look below at some of the most impressive stats we discovered.
Jae Crowder wasn’t typically considered a threat from beyond the arc during the first three years of his NBA career. This past season, however, he established himself as one of Boston’s top 3-point shooters and it’s most proficient long-range shooter during clutch situations.
Crowder shot a team-best 43.5 percent from 3-point range during games in which there was a five-point differential or less and less than five minutes remaining in regulation or overtime.
Crowder’s percentage increased more and more as the seconds ticked away. He shot 45.5 percent in the final four minutes of five-point games, 47.7 percent in the final three minutes and 53.8 percent in the final two minutes. He also shot a whopping 66.7 percent in the final minute of such situations, hitting six of his nine attempts (accounting for six of Boston’s 11 total makes during the final sixty seconds of games this season).
Kelly Olynyk did not lead the Celtics in any of the traditional major defensive categories – in fact, he wasn’t even close. The 7-footer finished seventh on the team in rebounds, seventh in steals and fifth in blocks. That said, the big man had an immense impact on the defensive end of the floor.
When Olynyk was on the court, the Celtics surrendered just 97.7 points per 100 possessions. That mark ranked 11th in the league – and third in the Eastern Conference – among players who averaged at least 20 minutes per game.
Now you might be asking yourself, “How did Olynyk make such an impact defensively without putting up big numbers?” For him, it was all about positioning. Olynyk knows where to be and he stays active on the defensive end. That enables him to contest shots all over the court; for example, on shots that Olynyk defended from 15 feet-out, the opposition shot just 32.7 percent – the best defensive mark on the team from that range.
Avery Bradley averaged the most minutes per game for the Celtics this season, so this statistic isn’t particularly surprising when taken at face value. What is astounding, however, is that he covered more ground on defense than he did on offense.
Bradley was the only player in the NBA that traveled a longer distance while playing defense (1.19 miles) than offense (1.18).
While every other player in the league expended most of their energy on the offensive end, Boston’s lockdown defender was living up to his reputation by hounding opposing guards and providing suffocating perimeter defense.
That unparalleled defensive effort paid its dividends as Bradley snagged a spot on the All-Defensive First Team at season’s end.
Amir Johnson came to Boston boasting one of the most efficient field goal percentages in NBA history, and that didn’t change once he slipped on the green and white uniform.
The 11-year veteran was about as reliable as could be from close range, whether he was throwing down an alley-oop slam or tossing up a sweet baby hook shot.
Johnson wasn’t very efficient from deep this season, having shot just 10-for-43, but his astronomical 2-point percentage (62.4 percent) enabled him to place eighth in the league in effective field goal percentage among players who averaged at least 20 minutes per game.
While we mentioned that Johnson was incredibly efficient close to the basket this season, there was one Celtic who was even more efficient from within the restricted circle.
Surprisingly, that player was Avery Bradley.
The bulk of Bradley’s scoring comes from outside the paint, where he established himself this season as a feared sharpshooter. That being said, he certainly deserved more credit for his efficiency under the hoop.
Bradley shot 162-for-233 from within five feet of the hoop this season. Among players who attempted at least two such attempts per game, that ranks him sixth in the league behind DeAndre Jordan, Al Horford, Andrew Bogut, Hassan Whiteside and Dwight Howard.
Notice how each of those players are bigs. Bradley was the only guard who made his way into the top 25 in that category this season. MVP Stephen Curry was the next-closest guard with a 64.5 percent clip, which ranked him 27th in the league.
To further emphasize Bradley’s close-range effectiveness, he averaged 1.205 points per touch in the post. That ranked him third in the league behind Kevin Durant (1.257) and DeAndre Jordan (1.220).
Marcus Smart is known as a pesky defender, and he proved that this season by frustrating opposing offenses on a nightly basis.
He constantly put his body on the line by absorbing contact and taking charges. That defensive determination enabled him to draw 48 offensive fouls. By comparison, no one else on the C’s drew more than 29.
Smart was tied with Kemba Walker for third in the league in offensive fouls drawn, trailing only Ersan Ilyasova (57) and Ricky Rubio (51). However, each of those three players appeared in at least 74 games, while Smart only played in 61.
Isaiah Thomas drove to the basket more than any player in the league this season – a whopping 949 times.
That translated into 7.6 points per game off of drives, ranking him third in the NBA behind DeMar DeRozan (8.7) and Damian Lillard (7.8).
The 5-foot-9 point guard shot 45.4 percent on his drives, which is impressive considering he often had to shoot over the outstretched arms of 7-footers, or somehow contort his body to even get a decent shot off.
While we’re on the topic of drives, it’s also worth including Evan Turner’s stellar efficiency on such plays.
Turner shot 55.2 percent on drive attempts this past season. Among players who scored at least 3.0 points on drives, that ranked him fifth in league behind Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard.
Jared Sullinger is coming off of one of the most impressive rebounding campaigns in the last decade of Celtics basketball. He hauled in 18.7 percent of all rebounds when he was on the court, which is the best franchise mark since Al Jefferson corralled 19.5 percent during the 2006-07 season.
Sully pulled down a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game, despite averaging only 23.6 minutes per contest. That translates to 12.7 rebounds per 36 minutes – the highest team mark since Danny Fortson averaged 15.4 per 36 – while playing 15.6 MPG – during the 1999-2000 season.
