National Basketball Association

Building Boston's All-Defense Lineup

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Feb 25, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (left) and guard Avery Bradley (0) celebrate against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Building Boston’s Ideal defensive lineup

The Boston Celtics had one of the strongest and most unique defenses in the league last year. Despite having no rim protection whatsoever, they still managed to capture the fourth best defensive efficiency rating in the NBA. They were at the top of the league in generating turnovers, and have put together a core of guards that cannot be matched on the defensive end.

The Celtics continually went to small ball and three guard lineups, and it proved to be one of their most effective ways of asserting their will on the defensive end. The Celtics always brought the energy and they did not back down from any opponent.

The key for any defender on the Celtics was and still remains versatility. The Celtics could not have their small ball success without Jae Crowder‘s ability to guard any position from the one to the four. They would not be able to put put three guard lineups if Marcus Smart and Evan Turner were not able to guard any position from the one to the four.

The Celtics used versatile defenders to make up for the areas they struggled in, and the rim protection that Al Horford brings will further limit those areas of concern. The Celtics have multiple standout defenders on the team, even if many of them have done very little on the offensive end.

The Celtics won because of their defense last year and they stand to be much improved this season. Brad Stevens loves to play around with different lineups and, even if these five have no chance of making up the starting unit, they are the best five man combination on the defensive end for the Celtics this season.

Apr 8, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) reacts during the first half of a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Point Guard: Marcus Smart

While Isaiah Thomas will continue to be the most important offensive player for the Celtics, he really is not at the same level defensively as the other guards on the team. He has proven to be a capable defender that will find a way to bring in some steals. That being said, even in his rookie season everyone knew what kind of defender Smart was and Thomas simply cannot compete with it.

As capable as Thomas can be, his height takes away any kind of versatility. At 6’4 and 220 pounds, Smart has the size and strength to matchup against players that are bigger than him. Smart will have no problem matching up against any other point guard in the NBA and, if necessary, he can move around and help guard other positions if it is necessary.

Any kind of all-defense lineup for the Celtics would have to feature Smart. He may not be their most fundamentally sound defender, but he has separated himself as a leader on that end, and he may be the person most responsible for their great ability to generate turnovers.

Smart will constantly keep the pressure on the ball, and his aggressive nature will always keep him ready to pounce when he is off the ball. Smart is a decent rebounder and that could be a huge difference maker for a team that struggled on the boards. The Celtics will be undersized at certain positions and having a guard with Smart’s size impacts them in multiple ways on the defensive end.

Smart has pulled in 1.5 steals per game in each of his two seasons, and there is no reason to believe that will regress in any way. He is learning to become a smarter defender, because his energy and effort has already reached max capacity.

The Celtics have a lot of strong defensive guards on their team but in the all-defense lineup, Smart is the only choice for the point guard position.

Mar 16, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) works the ball against Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) in the second half at TD Garden. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Celtics 130-109. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Shooting Guard: Avery Bradley

Avery Bradley is a no brainer for this spot. He has not only separated himself as the elite defensive guard on the Celtics, but he is also being recognized league wide as potentially the best defensive guard in the NBA. Even if Smart would be playing the true point guard position, Bradley would likely draw the majority of the on ball point guard match ups.

Bradley has proven that he is capable of handling himself against the best point guards in the NBA. He may not have the size and strength of Smart, but they do not need as much of that out of him. while the Celtics would certainly embrace Smart’s versatility, they want Bradley to stay covering guards.

Braldey saw his steals per game jump to a career high 1.5 last season, but there may not be another player on the team that leads to more steals by his teammates. Bradley makes sure that whoever is controlling the offense is being terrorized. Bradley makes sure to put the opposing point guard in impossible positions, and then that is where the likes of Smart come in and take advantage of the weaknesses created by Bradley.

Bradley and Smart would make up the best defensive back court the NBA has to offer. They have learned to compliment each other well, and with Turner out of the picture, they are easy choices for both guard positions.

Braldey has his sights set on defensive player on the year, and it the Celtics’ defense improves from last year then that could be well within his reach.

Mar 5, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Gerry Blakes (4) shoots over California Golden Bears forward Jaylen Brown (0) during the second half at Wells-Fargo Arena. The Golden Bears won 68-65. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Small Forward: Jaylen Brown

Small forward is the most difficult position to decide on, but that is taking into account that Crowder can move over to the power forward position. While Brown still has a long ways to go to prove himself on the defensive end, his versatility is too much to pass up.

Brown is another one of those players that could matchup against any position form the one to the four. He has the superior athleticism that will give him a distinct advantage over much of his competition, and strength or speed will never be a concern on his part.

Brown will take some time before he is good enough of an on ball defender to matchup to the stronger players in the league, but that would not be his responsibility in this lineup. With Crowder in the front court and Bradley in the back court, the Celtics would never need Brown to be the primary on ball defender, and that could take a lot of the pressure off of him, allowing him to optimize his elite athleticism on that end.

In college, Brown had a stellar defensive rating of 97.1. He had no problem matching up with anyone in college and that defensive versatility is likely to have been a main reason why he was selected third overall.

The Celtics took Smart knowing that he was an NBA ready defender that needed a lot of work on offense, and Brown is currently in a similar place. Brown would be an ideal position to see his steals sky rocket, and he could even have an impact as a rim protector. Because of his elite athleticism, Stevens would have no problem putting Brown on players with a clear size advantage on him.

Once Brown finds himself in those positions, he will be forced to used that athleticism and that is where he can start to have an impact as a rim protector. Brown’s traditional match ups would not be against too many bigs. That being said, Crowder’s responsibility often changes depending on who the opposing team’s top player is and the Celtics need someone at the three that has the versatility to pick things up in the front court when Crowder’s assignment is moving around.

Brown is certainly the riskiest pick for this lineup but there are no other options that can match his versatility and he has proven that he is willing to put in the work that is necessary to becoming a legitimate defender in the NBA.

Mar 4, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (back) holds the ball as Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Power Forward: Jae Crowder

Jae Crowder has already proven that he has no problem playing the power forward position. Crowder is the most important defender on the Celtics. He has the versatility to matchup to anyone they need and, more often than not, he gets the most difficult matchup.

Crowder has proven that he is capable of holding his own against anyone in the NBA and even in Boston’s all-defense lineup, he would continually draw the toughest matchup. The Celtcs need Crowder to be the elite on ball defender that he has proven to be this year, and they need his remarkable ability to generate steals.

Finishing with 1.7 steals per game, Crowder actually managed to lead the league for a portion of the regular season. There really are no flaws in his defensive capabilities. The Celtics know that they can trust him and that freedom put guys like Smart in the positions that allows them to be so impactful.

At 6’6, Crowder would be undersized at his position and that could threaten them on the boards. That being said, With Smart playing point guard at 6’4 and Brown playing the small forward at 6’7, this lineup as a whole would be bigger than the starting unit, which is likely to feature the 6’9 Amir Johnson at the power forward position.

The Celtics had their strongest lineups last season when Crowder was playing the four and that is largely because of the other versatile defenders it allows into the lineup. Last season, having Crowder at the four allowed him to play at the same time as Turner, Smart and Bradley (or Thomas in place of any of those guards).

Putting Crowder at the four gives the Celtics their most freedom with the other positions, and truly allows them to play the best defenders they can at the same time.

May 4, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) shoots over Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) during the first quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Center: Al Horford

The newly acquired Al Horford is a no brainer for the Celtics at the five. He is their best rim protector and should be their best rebounder. He should finally give the Celtics some legitimate defense in the paint. Horford should stop the abuse that continually came on the inside, and he should be able to force defenses to adjust.

Previously, the Celtics did not a center they could put out that offenses had to account for. In fact, most teams got their advantage by attacking the Celtics on the inside, and Horford should finally change that.

Horford could also help alleviate some of the pressure on Crowder. Crowder will certainly have to deal with playing as a undersized defender, but that gets a lot easier with the kind of help Horford will bring behind him.

Horford should be the missing piece to a defense that appeared to have everything they needed, except rim protection. Horford will not change everything and make them an elite team protecting the rim, but he will make everyone easier for the other defenders on the court. The already aggressive Celtics will be able to be even more aggressive because of the added security of Horford in the paint.

The Celtics truly have no other legitimate options for their all-defense center. Horford stands by himself at that position on the Celtics and even in small ball lineups his defense will remain absolutely essential.

Horford will allow the Celtics to get the most out of what would be their most versatile defensive lineups. This lineup will not even be a consideration for the starting unit because of the offensive limitations. That being said, Stevens will certainly explore these options as the top defensive lineup that he can put on the court together.