The Boston Celtics aren’t off the best start this season, posting a 1-2 record in their first three games. In those contests, Rajon Rondo has racked up a lot of minutes. If you ask Doc Rivers, it’s been too many minutes. Since he is in a position to do something about it, he plans to:
“I’m concerned, not as far as him getting tired,” Rivers said. “But him to save himself on the floor.”
“There’s a minutes number for him,” Rivers said. “We don’t know what it is yet.”
“We’ll figure it out, where he can play his minutes at full pace instead of knowing he’s going to be on the floor too long and start pacing himself,” Rivers said. “We need him to be a fast, quick, aggressive player.”
Doc is one of the smarter managers of player minutes around. In recent seasons, he’s curtailed Kevin Garnett’s minutes to maximize the productivity his aging star can give him and he’s done the same thing for Paul Pierce and Ray Allen (before his departure for the Heat). Rivers understands the goal is to win a championship and how that can be compromised if his star players are worn out in May and June.
That said, Doc is also a coach that is still in search mode for the right lineups on a team that has seen a lot of turnover since last season. He has two key new rotation players in Jason Terry and Courtney Lee and is still without Avery Bradely (who is likely still a ways away from playing). Sorting out his back court rotation is something that could help reduce Rondo’s minutes but that will take time.
Rivers also has new front court players and shifting roles that need to be established. But this is something he seems to understand as part of the building process of the season:
“I’m not that concerned with rotations and all that stuff,” he said. “Only five guys are going to play at one time. Kevin’s going to do the same rotation and there’ll be a big that’ll take his spot. It’s not that difficult. The more important thing is finding the right group.”
Rivers is in an enviable, yet still sort of tough, situation with this current group of Celtics. This past off-season saw a lot of change in the form of a revamped roster with several players who can contribute. Free agency and the draft produced quality talent that can really help a Celtic team that was starting to show its age in the playoffs.
But with all that change comes some unfamiliarity that will need to be worked out. In times where there’s some uncertainty, it’s easier to lean on who you know, especially when that player is young and extremely talented like Rondo.
Rivers, though, is sure to sort things out. At some point he’ll find the right rotations, figure out which personnel groupings work best, and still find a way to reduce the minutes that Rondo plays. Even if it means the team doesn’t win as many games as it could have if he pushed his players for longer minutes.
He sees the end game and knows what it takes. There’s a reason he’s one of the best coaches in the league. It will just take a bit of time.
