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9-2. Tied with the defending-champ Denver Nuggets for the best record in the National Basketball Association. The past week has seen the Cs have many stretches where they just unleash a downpour of three-pointers on opposing defenses, the culprit of runs that blow games wide open. This is a part of Joe Mazzulla’a offensive strategy, and particularly with Kristaps Porzingis on the floor, it works. One of the broadcasts I was watching nailed it; he is a skyscraper who is a lethal threat as both a pick-and-pop big/floor spacer and rim runner. That is the essence of the Unicorn nickname; only Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembenyama can pull off both roles like he can.

However, the strategy of “simply make a lot of three-pointers” is probably not something that will continue in every game. Especially against an opponent like Denver, the Celtics will need more than just shooters letting it fly. So forgive me if I’m about to nitpick after a 4-0 week where the team looked pretty darn good, but this early in the season, there are still some weak spots to point out in my opinion.

Firstly, we are definitely still in the growing pains phase of Jayson Tatum playing out of the post. The shooting percentages were pretty ugly against Philadelphia, but in a big game where the team found itself without arguably their second and third-best offensive weapons, it is encouraging that he was trying to force post-up after post-up. In adverse situations, you tend to revert to what you’re comfortable with in life and in basketball, and what Tatum is typically comfortable with is the step-back or side-step three. It may have looked pretty ugly at some points, and he didn’t exactly showcase a wide array of moves or anything, but training yourself to go to that in a big game is an encouraging sign. It shows me that he is serious about getting good down there.

The Celtics could have also made it a bit easier on him. Instead of having him catch the ball on the perimeter and back all the way down to the block, they could have just let him catch it down there. Not only does that conserve energy and keep him from playing against the 5-second back-to-basket call, but post play 101 is that a lot of the work is done before you even get the ball. Quick moves off the catch add easy points to your diet, and Tatum is pretty great out of the triple threat already.

Secondly, for as great of a defensive player as Jrue Holiday is, I must admit, I find myself noticing quite a few spots where he is standing in no-man’s-land, confused about the coverage. It’s hard for me to say whether he is still learning the scheme or is confused at moves his teammates are making, but either way, they are clearly some defensive screws still to be tightened.

I would also like to voice some concern over the Celtics’ bench. The top six is great, but after that, things can get a bit dicey. It took me a couple weeks to notice this since I am so used to assuming the Celtics have great depth from the past couple of seasons, but that is no longer true. Now, some of the young players can obviously improve by seasons’ end; there are a lot of players not used to being a consistent part of the rotation that are now getting fed regular NBA minutes for the first time. The center depth is fine; between Porzingis and Al Horford, the team has no necessity for anyone else to play that spot in the playoffs, and Luke Kornet should be mostly serviceable if they want to get more minutes with Porzingis and Horford playing together. I don;t totally trust him, but they don’t have to play him if it comes down to it.

The perimeter is much more pressing. After the top four, there is nobody I really trust. I thought Payotn Pritchard would be better than this in bigger minutes, but his jumpshot has proven to be much more erratic than I anticipated. Sam Hauser appears to be the seventh-man that the coaches trust the most right now, but something about his shot feels shaky to me. Maybe it’s the way that it arcs, but it feels a bit streaky in my view, and streaky has a tendency to miss when you need to rely on it. I’m not sure what trades may be out there, but if this team really is still on a 65-win pace come February, they might want to consider fortifying their bench at the expense of future assets if nobody pops.

And now for everybody’s favorite segment, the Week 3 ambush play of the week. Because this team has a habit of turning the hunters, into the prey. There were plenty of worthy nominations this week, and I want to shout out Payton Pritchard’s strip of Mikal Bridges and Oshae Brissett’s poke out from behind against Joel Embiid. This award is built for mainstays like Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown (who also threw his name into the ring when he ripped Royce O’Neal), and Derrick White, so I feel I should not let other players work on the defensive end go unnoticed. However, this week’s winner is none other than Jayson Tatum (with an assist for Derrick White), who trapped Embiid in the corner late in the game vs Philadelphia and got a pick-six and-one, helping to spark the Celtic run that put the game away. Not bad.