With Joel Embiid out, these Celtics better pummel the 76ers on the glass

Boston Celtics

Rebound points and second chances could be key for Boston’s offense in this series.

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One of the biggest indicators of a successful development program is the ability to turn weaknesses into strengths.

Heading into the year, rebounding has been an area of ​​major concern for the Celtics. They lost Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet.

Neemias Koita struggled to crack the playoff rotation last season. Luka Garza was waived by the Wolves. With Jayson Tatum out of the lineup, the Celtics’ top two returning players at the start of the year were guards Derrick White and Jaylen Brown. They have yet to add Nikola Vucevic, who will be acquired at the trade deadline.

Crashing the glass was a struggle at the beginning of the year, but over the course of the season, the Celtics became one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA. They ranked third in the league in rebounds per game during the regular season. They also finished fifth in second chance points.

That would likely be a huge advantage against Philadelphia, which will be without former reigning MVP Joel Embiid for at least Game 1 and possibly longer while he recovers from an emergency appendectomy. Embiid is averaging 7.7 rebounds this season, his lowest since his rookie year. But that was still good for second-best on the team behind Andre Drummond’s 8.4.

The Celtics outscored Philadelphia in all four games during the regular season. The margin was relatively close with Embiid playing the first two games, but Boston grabbed at least nine more rebounds in each game over the final two games with Embiid on the bench.

Even with Embiid, the Sixers are not a great rebounding team. They ranked 18th in rebounds, and gave up 15.8 second-chance points per game, which was 24th.

The games between Boston and Philadelphia were still remarkably close. Three of the four were set at two points or less. During the Finals series, which Boston won by 16 points, the Celtics grabbed 59 rebounds while Philadelphia had 22.

One of the main concerns the Celtics have had over the past few seasons has been how much their shooting struggles on the outside — which are bound to happen at some point during the postseason — will impact the rest of the offense. They showed last postseason against the Knicks that he can be a recipe for blowing a big lead.

Points have to come from somewhere, and the Celtics are in the bottom five in the league in breakout points, points off turnovers, and points in the paint. They finished dead last in free throw attempts in every game.

So, this is a team that doesn’t excel at outscoring teams to get easy buckets or get to the goal line. They rely heavily on creating a strong appearance. The team fell to 19th place in the league in terms of points per match, after being eighth last season.

They get 40.4 percent of their points from 3-pointers, the fourth-highest mark in the league. Another 7.9 percent of their points come from the middle, which is No. 7 in the league. So, nearly half of their points come from 3-pointers and mid-range shots, which are typically low-percentage shots.

However, this is a make-or-break league, and the Celtics remain very effective in creating the look they get. They rank second in offensive efficiency, fourth in net rating, and in the top 10 in 3-point and free throw percentage. The volume of 3-point attempts dropped their overall field goal percentage to 16th.

However, one concern about facing a team like Philadelphia, which has shown it can hold its own late in games, is that relying too heavily on outside shooting is a calculated gamble. For the most part, it works for the Celtics. If something goes wrong at an unfortunate time, it could derail the entire season.

The Celtics often make up for this as they have committed the fewest turnovers of any team in the league this season, and have allowed the fewest points to opponents. They care for the ball and protect the rim at an elite level, both of which are really important.

So is the ability to get easy looks in clutch situations, and the Celtics should be able to get plenty against Philadelphia, especially without Embiid roaming the paint.

They have turned a major weakness into a strength, and that is a big part of the reason for their success this season. Fifty-six wins and home-court advantage thanks to the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference show that their style is generally working to their advantage.

Adding Tatum, their best rebounder, over the course of the regular season as well as the postseason, makes them even better.

But things can get worse, especially in the playoffs.

The Celtics will take their 3-and-3 ranges. This is what they do. However, they must be intentional in chasing bugs. This could be their best chance to get easy points against a team that likes to play close games.