Mid-season re-evaluation: Breaking down each Celtics players' entertainment value dollar by dollar
The 15-26 Celtics have played 41 games, exactly half of the season. With that in mind it's time to re-evaluate the dollar amounts for how much I'm paying to watch each Celtic play. My season ticket price is $65 per game, so here's the recalculated entertainment value of each player for my money. Rajon Rondo led the preseason list at $10, obviously there's a bit more cash to spread around at this point (original amounts in parentheses).
$12 Marcus Smart ($9) - Right now, Smart is the franchise. There's really no other way to look at it. He came to Boston with fairly high expectations and has improved dramatically in just the first half of his rookie year.
$8 Kelly Olynyk ($7) - Is it possible Olynyk is the most offensively talented player on the team? Big men who can shoot are a rare find, and his slow-motion fakes with drive to the basket finger rolls are surprisingly effective.
$7 Jared Sullinger ($8) - Gun to my head, I'd probably say Sullinger is currently the Celtics best player. I'm disappointing in his season though--I was expecting him to take a big leap forward and that just hasn't happened. In fact, I'm starting to get a bit scared Sullinger may have already hit his ceiling.
$6 Brandon Bass ($2) - Bass' stock has risen dramatically in the last two games, although for a long time I've felt he's the only Celtic who's consistently good at going up strong and taking the ball to the rim with two hands. Bass dunks when Sullinger and Olynyk shoot fadeaway jumpers. The better he looks now, the more likely Danny Ainge can get some actual value for Bass in a trade.
$5 Tyler Zeller ($3) - His shooting percentage is falling off lately, but it was unreasonable to expect Zeller to stay among the top five in the league in that category. I no longer consider Zeller an afterthought and am willing to view him as a potential building block.
$5 James Young ($7) - Young is the most difficult player on the roster to quantify. When he gets in the game he's second only to Smart in terms of interest level, but it happens so rarely that his number takes a huge hit.
$4 Avery Bradley ($5) - As more and more time passes, it's becoming apparent we'll never again see the defensive-terror Avery Bradley who stole Ray Allen's starting job in 2012.
$3 Shavlik Randolph (N/A) - I realize this is way, way too much for Randolph. But I have very fond memories of his original stint with the team and I am legitimately excited to see Shavlik get his first action this time around.
$3 Marcus Thornton ($3) - Think about this: Which Boston player would you most want to have the ball in his hands when the team needs one bucket late in the game? I honestly think my answer might be Thornton.
$3 Tayshaun Prince (N/A) Since joining the Celtics, Prince is averaging 20 minutes a night. Who saw that coming? He's made some impressive plays and clearly wants to be on the floor--both of which are a pleasant surprises. Word is Brad Stevens wants to keep Prince around.
$2 Jae Crowder (N/A) After an inspirational start to his career in Boston, Crowder has fallen off the radar a bit. I wonder if Prince may actually grab the starting small forward spot away from him?
$2 Evan Turner ($3) Turner does some nice things on occasion when given the chance. However, I believe most of the names higher on this list could accomplish just as much if his minutes were distributed elsewhere.
$2 Phil Pressey ($2) I sort of feel as if I am short-changing Pressey here, I think more often than not he puts his time to good use when he's on the floor. Unfortunately there's only so much money to spread around.
$1 Gerald Wallace ($0) - Considering Wallace is now the official unofficial face of CelticsLife, he has to be worth something.
$1 Andre Dawkins (N/A) - He scored 27 points and hit a team-record eight three-pointers in his debut with the Maine Red Claws. Who knows if or when we'll ever see Dawkins play for Boston, but I'm intrigued.
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$65
Follow Mark Vandeusen on Twitter @LucidSportsFan
