The Celtics’ Assortment of Two-Way Players Will Win Them the Title

The Celtics Have Shown the Most Consistency Post-Allstar Break

The Celtics entered this postseason as a quiet contender for the NBA title. NBA fans and analysts all around focused more attention on the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, the #1 seeded Miami Heat, the star-studded Philadelphia 76ers, and even the 7^th seeded Brooklyn Nets, who some picked to upset Boston in the first round of the playoffs.

Despite the lack of attention, the Celtics have been a sleeping giant for quite some time. The Celtics posted a 17-5 record after the all-star break which was the best record in the NBA for the last stretch of the season. Following the break, they ranked 4^th in points per game (119.7), 4^th in 3FG% (39.0), and 3^rd in assists per game (28.2). Boston also ranked 2^nd in the NBA in points allowed following the All-star break, allowing only 107.3 points per game, led by Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart. Now taking a 3-2 lead over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics are in a great spot to win their first title since 2008.

What is a Two-Way Player?

In this experiment we will only be looking at players who are deemed as net-positives for both offense and defense, even if they are only slight positives. The metric we will be using is RAPTOR, which uses player-tracking data and play-by-play calculations to evaluate each player’s individual plus-minus measurements and wins above replacement. The Celtics noticeably have the most labeled two-way players of the four teams left, with 6 players posting both a positive offensive and defensive RAPTOR. This includes guards (Marcus Smart and Derrick White), wings (Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum), and big-men (Al Horford and Robert Williams III), giving them an excess of two-way guys at every position and the flexibility to matchup with anybody during crunch time. RAPTOR has them as the clear favorites to win the 2022 NBA title.