Do any of the preseason stats actually matter?
The quick and obvious answer is "no." But, I think there are a few trends we can identify from the Celtics exhibition numbers that very well may carry over into the regular season:
- Jared Sullinger led the team in rebounds, averaging 7 per game. It wouldn't surprise me to see Sullinger finish the year as the C's leading rebounder. With Kevin Garnett's minutes hopefully declining, and the role of starting power forward still up in the air, this is a definite possibility. Sullinger also grabbed 20 offensive boards over the 8 games, almost one third of the team's 66 total. That I'm going to chalk up mostly to a rookie hustling while veterans are taking it easy (especially considering Kris Joseph was second on the team with 9), but it's still encouraging.
- Rajon Rondo (a career 62% foul shooter) knocked down 17 of 22 free throws, good for 77%. I know it's a small sample, but if this is the year the Boston point guard finally gets his jump shot going, the rest of the league is in big trouble.
- Rondo led the Celtics in minutes per game during the preseason, something that is almost certain to continue. Second on the club in MPG was Jeff Green, who also was the team's second leading scorer (13.9 PPG) behind Paul Pierce (15 PPG). Is it possible Green will play that big a role when the games start counting on Tuesday? If Doc Rivers stays true to his word and uses Green off the bench at three positions, he may well end up on the floor 30+ minutes a night.
- Jason Terry made 18 of 26 (69%) three point attempts. Paul Pierce shot better than 50% from beyond the arc as well, going 14-27. I don't really think those stats have much significance, but they're fun to mention. Especially when you consider #34 down in Miami hit just 12 of 35 (34%) threes this preseason.
Follow Mark on twitter @LucidSportsFan
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| Is Sullinger the C's best rebounder? |
- Rajon Rondo (a career 62% foul shooter) knocked down 17 of 22 free throws, good for 77%. I know it's a small sample, but if this is the year the Boston point guard finally gets his jump shot going, the rest of the league is in big trouble.
- Rondo led the Celtics in minutes per game during the preseason, something that is almost certain to continue. Second on the club in MPG was Jeff Green, who also was the team's second leading scorer (13.9 PPG) behind Paul Pierce (15 PPG). Is it possible Green will play that big a role when the games start counting on Tuesday? If Doc Rivers stays true to his word and uses Green off the bench at three positions, he may well end up on the floor 30+ minutes a night.
- Jason Terry made 18 of 26 (69%) three point attempts. Paul Pierce shot better than 50% from beyond the arc as well, going 14-27. I don't really think those stats have much significance, but they're fun to mention. Especially when you consider #34 down in Miami hit just 12 of 35 (34%) threes this preseason.
Follow Mark on twitter @LucidSportsFan
