A_Story_To_T3ll

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.

Well, that came crashing down quickly. Everyone rushed to laud Boston’s elite offense after nuking the hapless Wizards and tearing apart the defense-averse Pacers, and now that they’ve played two really good defenses, their offense looks gummy again. The same way I didn’t overreact after the first week, I refuse to overreact to two losses to what looks to be two really good teams. I do, of course, have some scattered observations from this last group of games.

1. Starting off with something positive, Boston’s rebounding is totally back. One of my biggest problems with Rob Williams being relegated to the bench last year was that it ate away at the inherent strength of the roster: being big, fast, and smart defensively. Part of that was conceding nothing on the glass. Ironically enough, now that the roster has been overhauled to emphasize the offense more, the rebounding and size has come back with it. This is mostly because of Kristaps Porzingis, who is a skyscraper. His shooting from deep (emphasis on the ‘deep’ part) has gotten the headlines, but even in losses the Celtics have been great on the glass and when it looks right, smaller players are being punished on both sides of the ball when Porzngis and Al Horford play together. I understand that they got so much time together lately because Derrick White was away from the team, but I think in certain matchups and situations, that combination will prove invaluable.
2. On the flipside though, the roster definitely is at a playmaking deficit. I thought that it in part looked that way because of White’s absence, but the problem persisted against the 76ers. I think that some of this can be solved by making the hierarchy of the team more defined. I like the usage rates of Porzingis and Horford, but I feel that there needs to be more of a pecking order on the perimeter. Who is the first option on a typical Celtics possession? I’ve watched all seven games, and I can’t answer that question. Jayson Tatum is obviously their best player, but he is not the type of player to run pick and roll after pick and roll; he also didn’t touch the ball for what felt like ten straight possessions in the third quarter versus Philadelphia. It sometimes feels like the offense runs the best when White initiates, but there are clear limits to his game. And Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown love to bring the ball up and dial their own numbers. I would love to see more flow in their halfcourt sets.
3. That being said, I do feel like there is more flow than there was last year. The extra spacing helps, but I also see more clever plays than I ever remember seeing last season. These are the sorts of plays where I, with the benefit of the overhead view, am being fooled as to what the true intention is. That is a good sign. I don’t even hate the playcall at the end of the Sixers game. I think the players had more time than they realized to hunt for a good shot once the ball was inbounded, but they also got basically as good a shot at a three-pointer as you’re going to get in those late-game situations where the other team knows you’re hunting for a three.
4. One of the most interesting storylines to monitor throughout the season is Jaylen Brown’s involvement in the offense. In the games where his shot is falling, the decision is easy: feed the hot hand. But in other games, he feels much more like a supporting piece than a player with his pedigree and salary would dictate. It was clear that in the Sixers game there was at least one party focused on getting him going. Some early plays were ran for him, and even after he had been struggling, early in the third quarter three straight possessions were eaten up totally by him. The Celtics were 0-3 on those trips. The Celtics’ title hopes may well hinge on Brown’s incorporation, and I’m sure things are not hunky dory behind the scenes. We love to pretend that in the modern era, players all sacrifice for the betterment of the team and there are never any hard feelings about it, but as we’ve seen time and time again, they happen on every team. They just aren’t reported.
5. Tatum’s offense is still a work in progress. I dedicated all of last week’s check-in to this topic, so I won’t go into too much detail about it here. I just wish he would cut the step-back three out of his game completely for a couple weeks, just so here could learn to play without it. It has become a total crutch-shot for him, and it kind of sunk Boston’s offense in two straight games.

And now, time for the ambush play of the week, because this team has a habit of turning the hunters, into the prey. Also I’m retroactively giving last week’s to Derrick White’s chasedown block on Jimmy Butler.

This week, the award goes to Jaylen Brown. Five minutes into the first quarter against Minnesota, Brown came over to help on an Anthony Edwards drive, ripped him clean, and beat Jaden McDaniels down the court for a dunk. Bursts of defense-to-offense athleticism like this is what makes this team so formidable and fun to watch. And Ant is not an easy guy to strip.