Celtics' Lee searches for more minutes in crowded frontcourt rotation
Once a relative afterthought on a Golden State Warriors team that hoisted its first championship in 40 years, all veteran power forward David Lee desires is the opportunity to play consistent minutes in his new home of Boston.
Unfortunately, the Celtics' frontcourt is stacked (Lee, Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger, Tyler Zeller, and Kelly Olynyk) with reliable options for head coach Brad Stevens, leaving Lee wondering what it's going to take for him to stand out from the pack.
"I have not been in a situation like this, or a situation where five bigs are trying to play, five capable bigs," Lee said, according to the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn. "There's been times where it's been frustrating for every single one of us. But most importantly, we've got to find a way that whoever Coach plays, to outplay the other team's bigs. However it works out, there's not one selfish guy on this roster."
The two-time NBA All-Star recently approached Stevens on how he could earn more playing time, if only to benefit the 12-9 Celtics.
"He respects that I went and talked to him," Lee said. "You know to go to your coach and say, 'Hey what do I need to do better? How do I try to earn more minutes?' It's not how can I get more minutes to get better stats or to get more attention, it's knowing I could help the team."
Boston Celtics Frontcourt
| Player | Games/GS | MPG | PTS | FG% | RPG | BLK | PER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Lee | 19/3 | 15.4 | 6.6 | 51 | 4 | 0.3 | 16.1 |
| Jared Sullinger | 21/18 | 25.5 | 10.3 | 43.8 | 9.4 | 0.9 | 18.4 |
| Amir Johnson | 21/18 | 23.6 | 7.7 | 54.1 | 6 | 1.2 | 15.2 |
| Kelly Olynyk | 20/0 | 17.7 | 8.2 | 43.4 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 16.6 |
| Tyler Zeller | 15/3 | 8.0 | 4.4 | 53.3 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 16.3 |
Lee, who has missed the past two games with a right heel contusion, knows he must make the most of whatever minutes he gets.
"That's all I can do, is be ready to play 25, 30 but realize that's not going to be the case most nights," Lee said. "I can choose to be frustrated by it or I can choose to make the most out of my time and make a positive contribution and find a way to do it in different ways."
It was only three years ago that Lee was putting up steady double-double numbers of 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds for the Warriors, but with the team going small, the emergence of Draymond Green, and an unfortunate hamstring injury, the 6-foot-9 big found himself on the outside looking in this past season.
He possesses tremendous trade value with his expiring contract of $15.5 million should the Celtics look to make a move before the deadline. If all else fails, Lee will hit the open market next summer in a bid to sign one last big contract with the league's salary cap set to rise.