The Celtics Should Score More Points In The Paint This Year

On Celtics.com there's a nice article explaining several reasons why the Celtics should score more points in the paint this year. They site Kevin Garnett playing a whole year at center as well as the return of Wilcox and Green (who should get some fast break opportunities at the basket). However, one interesting dynamic was the introduction of Courtney Lee and Jason Terry in place of Ray Allen.

Celtics Should See Boost in Interior Scoring | The Official Site of the BOSTON CELTICS

NBA.com’s advanced statistics tool tells us that only 20.8 percent of the points Allen scored last season arrived in the paint. Lee, on the other hand, uses his speed, strength and athleticism to score in the paint. He scores an average of 32.4 percent of his career points in the paint, while Allen’s best season in that category was 30.5 percent in 2009-10. Then there is Terry, who is a marksman from downtown yet also manages to score off of the dribble. Terry actually scored in the paint at the exact same rate as Allen last season, but he displayed a far better ability to create his own shot than Allen. A whopping 49.9 percent of the points Terry scored last season were unassisted. In comparison, Allen was only able to score 22.1 percent of his points without an assist. These numbers indicate that Terry’s off-the-dribble scoring could result in more points in the paint for the C’s next season.

I don't think Terry taking short jumpers off the dribble is that different than Ray taking them off the pass, but I'll allow for the fact that he might find his way into the paint more often than Ray might have. Also, as Avery Bradley comes back from his injury, he'll spend a good amount of time cutting to the hoop as well.