Crushing The Numbers - Nov. 7, 2022
By Maine Celtics Staff /November 7, 2022
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Want to know exactly how the Maine Celtics are getting it done on the court? Each week, Crushing The Numbers will take a deep dive into the G League stats to see what the numbers say about what areas the team has excelled in and what they’re looking to improve on in practice.
Throughout training camp and the early-season, head coach Alex Barlow has emphasized a preference for up-tempo offense, versatile defense and activity on the offensive glass. After an opening weekend sweep of the Westchester Knicks, the Celtics have fared well in some of the areas Barlow would like to see the team excel.
So far, the offensive rebounding numbers are stellar; Maine ranks third in the G League in rebounding percentage (56.7) and second in offensive rebounding percentage (40.6), with Two-Way center Mfiondu Kabengele ranking eighth in the league with 4.5 offensive boards per game. Generating second-chance opportunities is a surefire method to create extra possessions and outscore opponents, but the mental aspect of being worn down on the boards by Maine’s bigs can have an effect, too.
After leading the league with a 71.3 assist percentage last season, Maine currently ranks second in the league with a 75.3 assist percentage. Small sample sizes inflate early-season statistics a bit, but it’s clear this Celtics roster has the requisite playmakers to move the ball and play with pace. That ball movement has resulted in tons of open three-point attempts (43 3PA per game) through two games, though Maine isn’t converting on those looks as efficiently (37.2 percent) as last year’s squad that was littered with spot-up shooters. Marial Shayok and Denzel Valentine, two of the team’s high-volume sharpshooters, both rank in the top-seven league-wide with eight three-point makes. Even if the team’s percentage isn’t at the top of the leaderboards, the floor-spacing gravity of players like Scottie Lindsey, Shayok and Valentine opens up interior offense and the pick-and-pop game with Kabengele and Luka Šamanić, both of whom shoot well for their position. Maine led the league with 65 above-the-break three-point attempts during opening weekend, hitting 35.4 percent of them – an impressive mark from one of the most difficult spots on the floor to shoot from.
The turnover department has stood out already as an area for improvement. The Celtics have the third-highest number of turnovers per game (23.5) in the league, which contributes to their middle-of-the-pack ranking (16th) in the pace category. It’s more difficult to get out in transition when the Celtics are turning the ball over themselves and allowing teams to get easier looks in fast breaks, thus requiring them to inbound the ball rather than make quick outlet passes and run the break.
The Celtics have a week of practice ahead of them before they head down to Uniondale, N.Y. for a two-game series against the Long Island Nets.
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