Depth Chart: Point Guard
By: Brian Gleason
With training camp underway and the regular season approaching, join Celtics.com as we wrap up the Depth Chart series for the third season. We’ve saved the biggest preseason battle for last, as we take a look at point guard.
This is by far the toughest position to gauge with Dan Dickau and Delonte West fighting for the starting nod, while Orien Greene and Will Bynum are looking to take advantage of the hole left by the Marcus Banks injury. Doc Rivers does not have an easy decision ahead of him, as it should be a dog fight throughout the preseason.
Dan Dickau
Tale of the Tape: 6-0, 190 lbs, Gonzaga, 4th Season
04-05 Stats: 12.5 ppg., 4.9 apg.
Skinny: At this point in the preseason this is really a dead heat. Both Dickau and Delonte West could end up having their names called on opening night, but we had to put someone first and we’ll give Dickau the slight edge, since he’s received most of the playing time after three preseason games. Although he’s not a seasoned veteran, Dickau does have experience over West, especially with regards to running an NBA offense. He got his first real taste of extended minutes last season and he thrived with the Hornets, averaging 13.2 points, 5.2 assists and 2.7 boards per game in 67 games. The Celtics would be very happy if their starting point guard puts up those numbers.
Questions: The big questions for Dickau are his defense and whether he can match last year’s production playing on a Celtics team that has far more offensive firepower than the 2004-05 Hornets. The likely answers are that his scoring probably won’t be quite as good since he’s on a team with more options, but his assists numbers could go up. Dickau has proven that he can run an offense, so with better players around him, his playmaking skills should help his assist numbers. On defense, Dickau will have to prove to the coaching staff that he can defend top point guards in the NBA in order to win the starting job.
Delonte West
Tale of the Tape: 6-4, 180 lbs, St Joseph’s, 2nd Season
04-05 Stats: 4.5 ppg., 13.0 mpg.
Skinny: West may be one of the smartest players on the Celtics, as well as one of the best long range shooters. Those two qualities alone make him a favorite of Doc Rivers and put West right in the running for the starting point guard role. In his rookie season West showed he has a knack for finding the open man, especially in the open court, but to secure the starting job he’ll have to prove that he’s ready to run an NBA half-court offense. Although Dickau has the experience, West definitely brings more defense to the table, a department Doc Rivers is looking for the entire team to improve in.
Questions: For West it may come down to durability. He put on a lot of muscle over the summer, and if he avoids injuries he’ll defiantly be on the court. If West proves he can run the offense, then it may be his defense that puts him over the top.
Orien Greene
Tale of the Tape: 6-4, 208 lbs, Louisiana-Lafayette, Rookie
04-05 Stats (College): 11.7 ppg., 4.1 apg.
Skinny: Greene is a very intriguing player to the Celtics. Danny Ainge has always said he wanted a taller point guard, and at 6-4, Greene certainly fills that bill. After three preseason games he’s backed up some of the talk, looking very good on the defensive end of the floor. Green has also looked good moving the basketball and running the fast break. He still needs to prove that he can knock down the open shot, and it would be good for him to get some minutes against starting point guards in the preseason. Greene probably has the most to gain from the injury to Banks.
Questions: Greene comes from a smaller college than most, so making the leap to playing against NBA competition will be an adjustment. If Greene shows he can handle the transition, he may prove to be another steal in the draft for Danny Ainge.
Will Bynum
Tale of the Tape: 6-0, 185 lbs, Georgia Tech, Rookie
04-05 Stats (College): 12.5 ppg., 2.5 apg.
Skinny: Bynum joined the Celtics as an undrafted free agent after impressing the team in summer league play. Bynum is a good defender, who has a knack for big games. He knocked down a game-winner in the Final Four that sent Georgia Tech to the championship game in 2004, and was also named to the ACC All-Tournament Team in 2005.
Questions: Bynum’s main goal at this point is to make the roster. Even with the injury to Banks, not many teams carry four point guards. Bynum will have to outplay at least one of the players above him in practice, and then translate that to the preseason games when his number is called.
Marcus Banks
Tale of the Tape: 6-2, 200 lbs, UNLV, 3rd Season
04-05 Stats: 4.6 ppg., 14.1 mpg.
Skinny: The stress fracture to the left tibia of Marcus Banks will definitely put his progress back, as the speedy guard will be re-evaluated in six weeks. If Banks ends up missing an extended period of time then it will be tough to break into the lineup, let alone have any real impact on the season. If he can make it back before the start of the New Year then he should be able to work his way back into the point guard rotation.
Questions: Banks is still very young (he turns 24 next month) and is one of the best pure athletes in the NBA. With his youth and the fact that this is first real injury, he may be a quick healer, and can return in time to have an impact on the season.