Certain teams around the NBA value things more than others, and the Boston Celtics are at the top of that list when it comes to 3-point shooting. If there's one team in the NBA that's going to get up threes at a very high rate, it's always going to be the Celtics.
The Celtics have proven over the past few years that they'll do whatever it takes to ensure that they have an opportunity to win the analytical game when it comes to the 3-point shot. Even if Boston decides to take 50-plus threes in a game, it's going to do just that.
Whether right or wrong is up to anyone else to decide, but that could be a major factor for a former Duke player expected to be a first-round pick in this upcoming draft. That player is Isaiah Evans, a knockdown 3-point shooter who should find himself a nice little role in the NBA, especially if it's with a team that shoots as many threes as the Celtics.
USA Today recently predicted that to be the case.
“Boston tends to favor players with a high effective field goal percentage, low turnover percentage and low usage rate. They also like players who make quick decisions on catch-and-shoot opportunities and on corner 3-pointers. Evans scored 218 points when shooting off the catch, per Synergy, which ranked third-best among ACC players last season.
“He also matched 30 corner 3-pointers, according to CBB Analytics, which trailed the top-ranked high-major player (34) by just four field goals made. Expect the Celtics to potentially have Evans higher on their big board than other teams might,” Bryan Kalbrosky of USA TODAY wrote
I do like the fit with Evans on the Celtics in terms of pure play style. The only thing that worries me a bit here is that the Celtics are so good that they might not want to play another really young guy. They already have multiple young guys on the roster who proved last year that they can play at the NBA level.
Evans could be another one of those guys who does that, though it's fair to note that at some point the Celtics won't want a bunch of young guys playing for them when they're trying to win a championship.
