FanPost

Checking in on old friends

Around the season's 1/3 mark, I thought it would be fun to see how some ex-Celtics are faring in their new homes. I don't regret giving these guys up to make room for new talent, but I do wish them well (when not playing Boston, of course.)

First, here are their stats so far:

Per Game Table
Rk Player Season Age G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1 Avery Bradley 2017-18 27 24 24 31.8 5.9 13.7 .430 1.9 4.6 .405 4.0 9.0 .442 .498 2.1 2.6 .810 0.6 1.9 2.5 2.1 1.4 0.2 2.5 2.3 15.8
2 Jae Crowder 2017-18 27 25 22 25.6 2.7 7.0 .386 1.2 3.7 .323 1.5 3.3 .458 .472 1.8 2.0 .882 0.7 2.3 3.0 1.0 0.7 0.1 1.0 2.1 8.4
3 Jonas Jerebko 2017-18 30 21 10 16.9 2.3 4.7 .495 1.1 2.4 .460 1.2 2.3 .531 .611 0.4 0.5 .800 0.9 2.9 3.7 0.8 0.4 0.1 0.4 2.0 6.1
4 Amir Johnson 2017-18 30 22 2 15.1 1.8 3.7 .494 0.0 0.5 .091 1.8 3.2 .557 .500 0.5 1.1 .417 2.0 3.5 5.5 1.2 0.6 0.9 0.9 2.8 4.1
5 Kelly Olynyk 2017-18 26 24 2 20.5 3.3 6.2 .523 1.2 2.5 .483 2.0 3.7 .551 .621 1.5 1.9 .804 0.9 4.5 5.4 2.0 0.6 0.5 2.0 3.1 9.3
6 Tyler Zeller 2017-18 28 16 8 18.4 3.4 5.4 .621 0.2 0.5 .375 3.2 4.9 .646 .638 1.4 2.3 .611 1.6 2.8 4.4 0.7 0.4 0.6 1.1 1.9 8.3
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/8/2017.

Avery Bradley is the third-leading scorer on the surprisingly competitive Pistons, but has taken a big step back in other categories from his days with the Celtics. His rebounding rate is less than half of what it was last year (a career high 10.5%, which is very good for a guard), and he's turning the ball over at his highest rate since 2012. Though he used to handle backup point duties on occasion with the Celtics, he's now strictly a shooting guard according to Basketball Reference's positional data. Avery is a bit of a puzzle in that advanced stats have never liked him (he's below average by every metric, and was last year as well), which is hard to square with his reputation as a top three-and-D guy.

Jae Crowder is not doing his part to make up for Cleveland's loss of Kyrie Irving. Crowder, who has the lowest turnover rate in Celtics history, is vindicating the critics who said he wouldn't be able to repeat his success from the three-point line last year. His assist rate is half of what it was in 2017 and it seems like his defense has slowed down a step. He's been the sixth-worst small forward in the NBA by ESPN's Real Plus-Minus metric (although the guy we drafted to fill his role eventually, Semi Ojeleye, is second-worst in a very small sample). He hasn't played 30 minutes in any of the last ten games, although with Iman Shumpert out the Cavs don't really have an alternative to relying on him at the wing.

Jonas Jerebko is shooting the lights out. He's on pace for his highest three-point percentage ever (46%) and his most threes, despite playing only 17 minutes a game. He somehow has the seventh-best offensive rating in the entire NBA, just ahead of Draymond Green! He was a big reason why the Jazz didn't fall apart with Rudy Gobert out, but his playing time will likely be reduced with Gobert back.

Kelly Olynyk is having a weird season. He's shooting an absurd 48% from three, and is on pace for career highs in rebound rate and assist rate. He's been the 10th-best center in the NBA according to Real Plus-Minus, and would be averaging 16.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per 36 minutes. That's pretty similar to Paul Millsap's career line. However, he's also on pace to set a career high in turnovers, and can't stay on the floor because he averages 5.5 fouls per 36 minutes. It seems like the Heat have decided he can't play next to Hassan Whiteside, so they pair him with a stretch forward like James Johnson. With Whiteside out, he can make a strong case for more playing time.

Amir Johnson is the anti-Avery Bradley, in that advanced statistics have always loved him far beyond his reputation. He's still an above average player by most advanced metrics, but he's only getting 15 minutes per game -- I've only seen a few Sixers games this year, but I have to admit he doesn't pass the eye test when he's on the court. It's amazing to remember that he's only 30 years old, but he has a lot of miles on him with 13 years in the league and will now have to compete with Trevor Booker off the bench. (Trivia question: Who is the only player in Celtics history with a higher true shooting percentage than Amir?)

Finally, Tyler Zeller is basically doing the same things he did with Boston: put up a high field goal percentage and not a lot else. The Nets have been substantially better with him on the court (+5.9 net rating) but with the arrival of Jahlil Okafor his role could get even more marginal.

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