Semi Ojeleye’s Jump from Outlier to Impact Player
Creator: Jason Miller | Credit: Getty Images | Copyright: 2020 Jason Miller
The Celtics’ bench started off the year red hot, putting up some of the best bench numbers in the entire league. Unfortunately, that number has fallen off a bit as the season has gone on, in large part due to the team getting hit with lots of COVID-19 related issues. As of now the team sits at 24th in the NBA in bench scoring per game (33.6), however, sits in the top ten in terms of bench field goal percentage (47.1%) and bench three-point percentage (38.0%).
The whole team has been coming together, trying to push forward through injuries and other issues, but there have been a few great storylines to follow. There are more major storylines like the development of Jaylen Brown into a superstar, and the emergence of rookie Payton Pritchard, but neither are the one that may be the most important to the C’s. There’s one player in particular who has come out and shocked all of Boston this year, drastically improving the quality of the bench - Semi Ojeleye.
Just this past offseason, Ojeleye’s spot on the roster was called into question after some subpar play in the Orlando bubble over the summer. He had a team option on his deal, and the Celtics could have chosen to part ways with the now fourth year pro, but they didn’t. Now, he’s having one of the most productive season’s of his career, and helping the team on both ends of the floor tremendously.
He’s averaging only 5.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists a night, while shooting 40.8% from the field and 36.2% from deep. While these may seem to be fairly average numbers on the surface, his impact goes much deeper than base-level statistics. His floor spacing, improved decision making, and intense defense make him a great asset to the Celtics.
Ojeleye has an offensive rating of 114.8 and a defensive rating of 107.7. These rank third and sixth on the team respectively, and his offensive rating would rank second if you choose to discount Tacko Fall and the 41 minutes he’s played.
Taking a further look, Ojeleye’s impact can be seen when looking at different five-man lineups the Celtics have run with this season. There have been 22 different five-man lineup combinations that have played at least eight minutes together this season. In terms of net rating, Ojeleye is in three of the top five lineups.
Even his defense, which has always been solid, has seemingly taken a jump this year. In the game against the Lakers he played super meaningful minutes guarding both Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Despite coming off the bench, Ojeleye matched up with James more than anyone else on the C’s, guarding him for 3:11 of total game time. In those minutes, James was held to only two points on three shots, shooting 1/3 and turning the ball over twice (two of his five turnovers on the night). Meanwhile, although Ojeleye only guarded Davis for 0:37 of game time, he held him to zero points on 0/2 shooting. Ojeleye was faced with a huge task and stepped up to the challenge.
Ojeleye’s jump this season has been nothing short of incredible. He went from being a guy most fans saw as expendable, to playing some of the most minutes off the bench for Boston this season. He hustles, he’s a solid defender, and it’s getting to the point where when he shoots people actually expect it to go in. It’s always great to see a guy improve so much and solidify himself as a rotational piece on a roster, and Ojeleye has done just that.
