{"numbering":"asc","slides":[{"index":1,"title":"C's Question of the Day: What's Jonas Jerebko's role?","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/archive/assets_media_gallery/boston/2016/09/19/celtics_jonas_jerebko_022515.jpg","caption":"

From now until the start of Celtics camp, we’ll be asking a Question of the Day about the upcoming season. Today: What will be the role of Jonas Jerebko, who saw limited minutes during the season but became a starter in the last four games of the playoffs?

BOSTON -- When you think about the positives that the Boston Celtics certainly want to build off, Jonas Jerebko isn't one that immediately comes to mind.

But as you reflect on Boston’s postseason matchup with Atlanta, Jerebko’s emergence was critical to the series lasting as long as it did.

Indeed, Jerebko made the most of his expanded role by averaging 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a starter in the playoffs while shooting 52.9 percent from the field.

Compare that to his regular season, when he averaged just 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 41.3 percent from the field.

At 6-foot-10, Jerebko was the stretch big that Boston desperately needed in order to extend the series to six games after losing the first two.

So where does that put Jerebko heading into this season?

"},{"index":3,"title":"Rotation player","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/archive/assets_media_gallery/boston/2016/09/19/celtics_jonas_jerebko_042416.jpg","caption":"

Al Horford and Amir Johnson are expected to be Boston’s starting bigs, but Jerebko’s role may be bigger than anticipated.

Boston has more depth, but Jerebko’s ability to defend multiple positions will certainly be an option Brad Stevens will consider seriously this season.

During the regular season, Jerebko played every frontcourt positon last year, including center.

While it remains to be seen how much Jerebko will play, he will likely find himself in the rotation logging minutes in the low-to-mid teens.

"},{"index":5,"title":"Taking advantage of opportunities","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/archive/assets_media_gallery/boston/2016/09/19/celtics_jonas_jerebko_031516.jpg","caption":"

When you look back at Jerebko’s strong play in the postseason, it came about because of the struggles experienced by Jared Sullinger, who's now with Toronto.

Jerebko will likely need a similar scenario to play out in order to get the kind of consistent minutes he saw against the Hawks in the final four games of the series.

That opportunity may present itself in the form of Kelly Olynyk, who is still on the mend from right shoulder surgery in May that’s expected to keep him sidelined until sometime next month.

With Olynyk out, Boston’s only other stretch big with experience besides Jerebko is Al Horford.

And while Olynyk has been praised for shooting 40.5 percent on 3s last season, Jerebko wasn’t too far behind -- 39.8 percent.

It was a good year shooting the 3-ball for Jerebko, but far from a fluke when you consider he's a career 35.8 percent 3-point shooter.

Jerebko’s defense is also underrated, especially when it comes to contesting shooters.

According to NBA.com/stats, opponents shot 2.9 percent less from the field with Jerebko defending them as opposed to what they normally shot from the field.

He was particularly good defending 3-pointers and shot attempts that were 10-feet or less from the rim. Three-point shooters shot 4.8 percent less than they normally do when Jerebko was defending. Opponents to attempted shots within 10 feet of the rim had similar struggles as they shot 4.5 percent less when Jerebko was on defense.

Jerebko has shown the ability to stretch the floor from 3-point range while more than holding his own as a defender, the kind of skills that made him a key performer in Boston’s most recent playoff run. And, if Jerebko has his way, will be instrumental in him once again having an opportunity to play a meaningful role this season for the Celtics.

"}]}