Crushing The Numbers - Jan. 11, 2024

Want to know exactly how the Maine Celtics are getting it done on the court? Crushing the Numbers takes a deep dive into the G League stats to see what the numbers say about the statistical areas and categories in which the Celtics have excelled. 

Now in the midst of the regular season, the Maine Celtics have tweaked the roster since the last time we crushed the numbers. As a result, the team has a markedly different statistical profile this time around. Through all the changes and adjustments, one thing remains the same; the Celtics go as JD Davison goes. 

Individual performances 

There are very few guards in the G League that impact all facets of the game at Davison’s level – two, to be exact. Only Collin Gillespie and Jalen Pickett join Davison in averaging at least 19 points, five rebounds and nine assists during the regular season, and Davison leads the group with 2.3 stocks (steals+blocks) per game. The second-year point guard has made a living inside the arc, ranking 16^th in the entire league with 12.4 points in the paint per game, and 13^th among guards at 60% shooting within five feet of the rim. High-flying dunks and contested layups have turned into controlled, clean floaters, runners and leaners as Davison deepens his bag as a downhill scorer. 

If one were to sit and watch a Maine Celtics game, there’s a near-certainty that Davison is going to cash in on a pull-up jumper from the elbow at some point. Mid-range scoring is arguably where Davison’s game as taken the biggest leap from last season to now, as he ranks seventh among guards shooting 47.4% from the 5-9-foot range and third in the 10-14-foot range. From the free throw line inward, Davison is one of the most efficient guard finishers in the league, displaying a wide array of fakes, pivots and other finishing moves to get his defender in the air, off-balance or both. On top of that, Davison is seventh with 9.2 assists per game, and his 55 total assists lead the entire league. He ranks eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio among players with a usage rate of 25% or higher, and third with a 40.7 assist percentage among that same group. An efficient finisher, elite playmaker and budding 3-point shooter at nearly 36% on the year, the 21-year-old Alabama product is a leading candidate for the NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T next month – fans can vote for Davison to be selected at this link:  

Davison’s fellow Boston Celtic, Jordan Walsh, has frequently flashed the potential that got him selected 38^th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft while on assignment with Maine. The 6-foot-7 teenage rookie is ninth in total offensive rebounds with 20 in just six games – Walsh is the only player under 6-foot-8 inside the top-10. His 17 stocks (nine blocks, eight steals) lead the team, and he’s not far behind Jordan Schakel in 3-point shooting, either. Walsh’s 41.5% mark is ninth-best among players with 40 3-point attempts, and his 17 makes are tied for 14^th-most in the same group. Coming into the league perceived as a developing shooter whose efficiency had yet to align with his smooth mechanics and high release, Walsh has quickly improved on his biggest swing skill while with Maine, along with plenty of reminders of just how athletic he is for his age. He’s only 19, after all. 

Well into the 2024 calendar, it’s clear that the Celtics offense is a perimeter-based attack which relies on high-volume efficiency from 3-point range – a mirror image of the offensive style played by the big club down in Boston. Schakel exemplifies that philosophy more than any Celtic, perhaps in the entire organization. The third-year pro has always been an elite marksman, but he’s reached new heights this season; Schakel is fifth in the league shooting 48.8% from beyond the arc and is tied for sixth with 21 total makes. Maine has an absolute deadeye shooter on the wing, a crucial piece to the puzzle for an offense that’s constructed to let ‘em rip from long-range. 

Jump shots are Maine’s bread and butter, but someone must be down in the paint to clean up misses and protect the rim – that’s where James Banks III and Kylor Kelley come in. Banks is 12^th in total offensive rebounds with 18 in six games, along with ranking third in the G League with 15 total blocks. Kelley isn’t far behind as a shot-blocker, sitting 12^th with 10 blocks. Among players with at least 10 made field goals in the regular season, Kelley is fourth at 71.4% shooting. Maine’s big men have contributing on both ends of the floor over the last few weeks. 

Team performance 

The Celtics are in the throes of a four-game skid right now, but there are plenty of silver linings when parsing through the G League stats page. One of the team’s most meaningful improvements has come on the defensive side of the ball. Through six games, Maine has the #9 defense in the league, though the defensive rating itself has remained almost the same. Transition lapses are the main hold-up defensively, but the Celtics can hang around when the game slows down and produces more halfcourt possessions – numerous near-comebacks in losses show that the group has potential to stifle offenses when fully locked in and controlling the flow of the game. 

On the backs of Banks and Kelley – with some help from Davison, a highly-productive shot-blocker for a 6-foot-1 guard – the Celtics are one of the best shot-blocking teams in the league. Maine averages 7.7 blocks per game, with both Banks and Kelley collecting 2.5 per game while Davison is averaging just under a block per game from the backcourt. The Celtics have rim protection and rebounding, and Davison is an aggressive force at the point of attack. Fans might be in line to see an improved defense at the Expo during the homestretch of the season. 

Over two months into the season now, it’s becoming clear what the Celtics are as a team; great on the offensive glass, which leads to high-percentage shots in the paint. Along with high-volume 3-point shooting and Davison initiating the offense, Maine has developed into a potent offense capable of scoring eruptions at a moment’s notice. That can be tough for opponents to prepare for, and it’s even tougher to stop once the shots start falling.