The Boston Celtics have won four games in a row, and as starting forward Jae Crowder, said they have found their swagger. At 18-13, the Celtics are in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference but are getting healthy as Marcus Smart returned to the lineup on Sunday. With Smart back, head coach Brad Stevens went to a smaller lineup more often than he normally does, and there seems to be pressure to continue doing so as the front office wants to see less playing time for David Lee, according to Jay King of MLive.com.
The Celtics acquired Lee this past offseason in a trade with the Warriors, and the expectation was that he would be a big part of the team this season. Instead, Lee, who is currently dealing with back spasms, has played limited minutes (15.9 per game) and is looking for a bigger role elsewhere. Lee's individual numbers are pretty good in his limited time on the floor, but the team's numbers when he is on the floor are not pretty. And because of that, the front office wants him on the bench.
This Celtics team is extremely deep, as players 1-15 all likely warrant some sort of minutes. So Stevens has his options. But going small, although he hasn't done it too often, has worked for Boston so far. There have been times where Stevens has played Crowder at the four, and there have been times when he has played Jonas Jerebko at the four, and it seems like that is when the Celtics are the hardest to guard.
With Smart out, the Celtics were deeper in the frontcourt, so it was no surprise that Stevens didn't go small all that much. But now that Smart is back, it is definitely something for him to look into. Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk and Amir Johnson are all going to get minutes in the frontcourt, but taking Lee completely out of the rotation will give Stevens more minutes to play a small lineup.
Isaiah Thomas, Boston's best player, has said he prefers to play with the smaller lineup because the spacing is better and gives him better opportunities to score. Whether the Celtics have played big or small, Thomas has thrived as a full-time starter this season, but if he wants the team to play small more often, it is something Stevens has to at least consider.
