Leadership role inspires Ojeleye
LAS VEGAS — The playoffs reveal something new for everyone, but especially young players. And Semi Ojeleye saw, with disappointment, how the game changed for him.
His 3-point shooting, especially his bread and butter from the corner, had been solid for a rookie at 32 percent. But once the postseason began, the rookie’s defense increasingly became the predominant reason for Brad Stevens to keep him on the floor. His 3-point shooting would eventually fall to 27 percent.
Ojeleye, to his own dismay, saw the result when he got the ball.
“When I was in there they just kind of pulled off me and that allowed them to play 5-on-4 on us defensively,” he said last week. “I have to be more of a threat offensively, for sure. They needed me to be extra.”
And right now, that’s the kind of self-correction Ojeleye can begin making in his second NBA Summer League.
The power forward got off to a solid start during the Celtics’ 95-89 win over Philadelphia on Friday night when he scored 16 points on 6-for-13 shooting, including 2-for-7 from downtown. But with the exception of 24 points from Jabari Bird, Ojeleye was part of a team-wide cold snap during Saturday night’s loss to Denver.
No other player reached double figures, and though Ojeleye was one-of-three players with a 3-pointer, it was his only basket. He finished 1-for-5 from the floor, including 1-for-4 from 3-point range.
His punch list is fairly well-defined, then.
“Just shoot, drive, movement, make good decisions. Not necessarily one-on-one, but making good decisions,” Ojeleye said. “I need to slow it down for me. Coaches do a good job just helping everybody be comfortable in the right position. So you know what to expect now. You know what they expect of you. So it just helps to play more free.
“Definitely knocking down open shots is something I have to work on,” he said. “Just gotta do a better job being consistent with that. And offensively, just I think making more plays. But I think when it comes to me just being assertive and making a quick decision, whether it’s moving it or driving or shooting, that’s what has to happen.”
The expanded opportunity of a leadership role on this year’s summer-league team brings more opportunities.
“It feels great. Take more shots, make more decisions, have the ball in my hands more,” said Ojeleye. “It’s definitely something I enjoy. That’s why I’m here, trying to get better.
“It’s a great opportunity. That’s what I’m here, to try to expand my game, get more comfortable, so when the season comes, I added it to my game, try to help offensively as well as defensively.”
Jay Larranaga, the Celtics’ coach in the summer league, has gone through this process with countless players, and all the best approached self-improvement with the focus Ojeleye is demonstrating now.
“The goals for every player is to refine your NBA position, right?” said Larranaga. “Learn to do the things necessary to be a rotation player in the NBA. ... Every guy on our team should try and figure out what kind of role can I fill with the Celtics and how do I best demonstrate that in this setting.
“So it doesn’t matter. Summer League, it doesn’t matter — open gym, regular season, playoffs. Guys have to play to their strengths, they have to give great effort at the defensive end,” he said, noting that sometimes a hard worker like Ojeleye has to ease his own pressure.
“Semi is a worker,” said Larranaga. “I just told him hard workers, conscientious people, sometimes that hard work can add pressure to you as opposed to add confidence to you. I told him, all your hard work is gonna pay off. Just play free, play confidently and good things will happen.”