Over the next month, we will be previewing every team in the NBA. Here is the first installment of our series as we examine the Boston Celtics.

2014-15 Record: 40-42

Notable Acquisitions: David Lee (Trade), Amir Johnson (FA), Terry Rozier (Draft), R.J. Hunter (Draft)

Notable Departures: Brandon Bass

Temperature Check:

After failing to lure a big name this offseason, the Celtics will look to rely on a youthful core, a few veteran cast offs and an emerging head coach to follow up their surprise playoff appearance this past season. Here is a detailed look at what to expect from Boston this upcoming season, along with a few intriguing themes and questions facing the team.

Inside the Playbook:

If you were looking to capture the essence of the Celtics' offense in a single word, it would be “spacing.” Under Brad Stevens, Boston has become the class of the league when it comes to positioning players in ways to create large swaths of open space. But spacing by itself doesn’t make great offense, as evidenced by the team’s mediocre 18th place finish in offensive efficiency, according to our RealGM database.

The reason for Boston’s struggles on offense was two-fold. For starters, standing bodies on the perimeter to pull defenses away from the basket works a lot better when those players actually make shots when help defenders focus attention elsewhere. The Celtics struggled mightily at that concept last season, converting just 32.7 percent of their shots from distance, placing them firmly among the NBA’s bottom feeders (27th to be exact).  

The other issue was that before Isaiah Thomas joined the team in late February, the Celtics' offense was anchored by Evan Turner (and Rajon Rondo) operating pick-and-rolls. Over the course of the 21 games he played for the team, Thomas’ presence elevated the team’s offensive rating to 109.2 in the 545 minutes he was on the floor -- a mark that would have been the third best in the league if it held up for an entire season. Both Turner and Thomas will return this year and will without a doubt spearhead the Boston attack with their pick-and-roll play.

Turner has become a solid playmaker out of the action, taking advantage of Boston’s fantastic spacing and his size to find open teammates both on the perimeter and, particularly, on the roll. With David Lee now in the fold and Tyler Zeller returning, Turner will have no problems racking up assists with nifty interior passes to two superb pick-and-roll finishes. Turner also does a good job of coming off the screen and unleashing his preferred shot, the mid-range pull-up, which he gets to by ‘cross-graining’ (commonly referred to as ‘snaking’ in NBA circles) in the opposite direction he originally comes off the screen.

At 50.2 percent, about six percentage points below league average, Turner is a poor finisher at the rim. Unfortunately for Stevens and the Celtics, his outside shooting is just as ineffective, causing opponents to go under screens involving Turner near the 3-point line and daring him to shoot behind. This move can typically render a pick-and-roll dead-on-arrival, but Stevens has built in a concept to help Turner get to more efficient spots on the floor, for him at least.

Re-screening against an under coverage in pick-and-rolls isn’t exactly a ground-breaking tactic, but it’s a clever concept put to use by Stevens to help one of his primarily ballhanders play to his strengths.

With Thomas, Stevens doesn’t have to do much else but let him go. While his size limits his playmaking ability, Thomas packs a lot more scoring bunch in pick-and-rolls, averaging over 1.1 points per possession while with the Celtics, per Synergy data, putting him near the league’s elite in that category. Unlike Turner, Thomas can threaten teams with off-the-dribble 3’s when defenders lag too far behind the play.

On top of his more threatening outside shot, Thomas, despite his diminutive stature, managed to finish 15th in the league in Free Throw Rate, per Basketball Reference. And if Boston is to build on their surprising playoff success from last year, Thomas and Turner will once again be counted on to shoulder a heavy load with their contrasting approaches.

Lineup To Watch:

David Lee-Kelly Olynyk-Jae Crowder-Marcus Smart-Isaiah Thomas

When the Golden State Warriors took off in his absence, it became easy to forget that Lee brings useful skills to the floor. An ill-fit due to contrasting personnel in a reconfigured Golden State offense, Lee should be able to spearhead some interesting smallball units in Boston. The lineup above is just one variation -- Olynyk could be swapped out for Jonas Jerebko, ditto for Crowder or Smart with Avery Bradley -- that would allow Lee to freelance in space, putting pressure on spread out defenses with his outstanding versatility in pick-and-rolls.

It’s a role that Lee thrived in under Mike D’Antoni in New York. Like D’Antoni, Stevens allows a fair degree of flexibility in his offensive system, especially in semi-transition. That means Lee will be allowed to be tricky with his decisioning making of who, how and when he screens for any one of Boston’s perimeter ballhandlers, just like he did with the Knicks:

Now obviously lineups with Lee at the 5 won’t be tenable for long durations as the defensive limitations -- which could be mitigated somewhat with two very good perimeter defenders in Smart and Crowder -- will be readily apparent against potent offensive combinations. But for short stretches against the right personnel, this lineup, and others like, could pile up the points against the Celtics opponents.

The Wildcard:

Marcus Smart

While some teams in NBA purgatory had welcome prized rookies or had generally more attention-grabbing off-seasons, Boston is left crossing their figures that one youngster on their roster full of callow pro’s matures quickly. Despite an unremarkable rookie season with some worrying shooting percentages (36.7 percent from the field, 33.5 from 3), a solid playoff debut and a tantalizing cameo in Summer League puts Smart as the likely candidate for a noticeable leap. In particular, Smart’s improvement in two areas -- pick-and-roll scoring or outside shooting -- could be a major boon for the Celtics.

As mentioned above, Boston desperately needs players capable of knocking down outside shots resulting from the pristine spacing in their system. If Smart can elevate his percentage from slightly below league average to genuine threat level (37-38 percent), it could add an additional hurdle for opponents against an improving offensive team. And while it’s far more unlikely, if Smart can approach Thomas’ level of pick-and-roll scoring, it will allow the team to lean less on the inefficient Turner to break down opposing defenses in the halfcourt. And giving the creative Stevens another weapon to attack opponents could make the Celtics a much more relevant team this season.

Coach’s Question:

How will Brad Stevens handle his frontcourt rotation?

You’d be hard pressed to find a more eclectic frontcourt in the NBA than the one Stevens will be working with in Boston. Lee and Zeller are potent finishers in pick-and-rolls, but offer almost nothing on the other end of the floor. Olynyk and Jerebko offer skill and shooting, but they too won’t be confused with a defensive stoppers anytime soon. Mix in jack-of-all/some trades, master-of-none types in holdover fourth-year big man Jared Sullinger and free agent acquisition Amir Johnson, and Stevens will have options aplenty.

Like Rick Carlisle has done for years in Dallas, Stevens has shown a unique ability to mix and match his in-game matchups and put his team in the best position to succeed. But this group, especially with their defensive limitations, will test Boston’s pragmatic head coach. The ability of Stevens to find workable frontcourt pairings on a nightly basis could very well define the Celtics season.

Best Case Scenario:

45-37 If…..

Stevens works his magic with the big man rotation, Smart and Crowder unveil (and maintain!) improved potency beyond the arc and Thomas puts himself into All-Star consideration by slicing up opposing defenses with his pick-and-roll savvy.

Worst Case Scenario:

33-49 If…..

Smart and Crowder remain just pesky defenders. Thomas misses extended time, forcing Stevens to rely heavily on Turner and fellow mid-range chucker Avery Bradley to provide production on offense while the addition of Lee to the frontcourt rotation causes the defense to take a small step back.

Click here for a full list of NBA Season Previews from Brett Koremenos.