Milwaukee Bucks: Analyzing John Henson/Aron Baynes matchup

Defense

One area where John Henson can make a difference in this series is in his ability to block shots. Henson was 11th this year in blocks per game among centers, with 1.4. On the other hand, Baynes was 54th with 0.6.

Still, the Celtics will be counting on their team-oriented approach to defense in order to win this series. While they’d certainly welcome him back if they could, the bright side of Kyrie’s injury is that it removed their weakest link defensively, for a defense that was already the best in the league.

As for Baynes, the Celtics do tend to defend much better when he is on the floor. Opponents have just a 97.0 offensive rating with him on the floor, but a 104.3 offensive rating when he sits.

Of all the centers in the league, Baynes is sixth in charges drawn per game. This could make an impact with the way Giannis hurls himself towards the rim at times. If he’s able to help get Giannis in foul trouble, and prevent some of those high value shots at the rim, that could shift the flow of a game.

Baynes has shown the ability and the willingness to get in Giannis’ path, albeit with mixed results.