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#1 Jaylen Brown is playing some of his best basketball
After a stuttering start to the season, where Jaylen Brown was figuring out his new role within the Boston Celtics offense, things have started to click. He’s currently playing some of the best basketball in his career thus far and was arguably the best player on the court in Sunday’s win over the Orlando Magic.
Brown is playing with a newfound aggression on the offensive end. He’s pressuring the rim at will, hunting his spots, and making the right reads whenever the defense rotates over on him. On a roster full of playmaking talent, Brown is being tasked with leaning into his scoring diversity and generating good looks for those around him when he forces the defense to commit.
One play that I really liked was when Brown drove the lane late in the first quarter, got shut off, and had no release valve passes available. Rather than panicking and forcing up a contested jumper, he stayed low, got into the middle of the floor, found his spot, and rose up for the bucket.
There’s patience in how Brown is approaching the game right now. Yes he’s being aggressive, but he’s not forcing things. The game is coming to him. Having that set spot in the middle of the court and that bump fadeaway that he’s become so good at have allowed him to be confident in tight situations. He’s being tasked as a primary scorer — a play finisher — and he’s excelling. Long may it continue.
#2 Queta’s screening impresses
I touched on this after the Celtics win over Orlando on Friday. Queta’s improvements as a screener from the start of the season to now and impressive. He’s getting higher onto the hips of the defender, he’s generating more contact, and he’s developing as a re-screener and secondary screener too. As a prototypical rim-runner, being a good screen setter is a prerequisite for Queta to succeed.
Take the pin-in screen from this play, for example. Queta setting that screen stops Jonathan Isaac from being able to turn around and contest Al Horford’s corner jumper. It’s a subtle screen that doesn’t jump out at you as having a big impact, but it’s little moments like that that earn you more playing time and grow trust between teammates.
Less than a minute later, he’s setting a gut screen for Jayson Tatum, creating some additional space around the rim. Queta and Tatum’s movement ended up being some window dressing due to Payton Pritchard’s space creation off the dribble, but that didn’t stop the young big man from fighting for a dominant position around the glass.
While Kornet is out with injury, Queta will keep getting chances to impress as the third big in the rotation. The additional minutes and reps will be invaluable to his development, especially on the defensive end.
#3 The Celtics defense is going to another level
The Celtics currently boast a top-5 defense in terms of defensive rating. Over the past couple of weeks, they’ve appeared to up their intensity on that side of the floor, and have been suffocating teams in the half-court. In recent additions of the takeaways, I’ve noted how they’re taking away middle drives by having wings pinch into the elbows and the dropping big around the nail. I’ve also looked at how they’re looking to cancel screens and hand-offs by getting in the middle of those actions.
Both of those principles have become commonplace within the Celtics’ defensive system, as has their swarming switching execution, which has stifled teams at times this season.
The above possession is a good example of the intensity with which the Celtics are approaching defensive possessions. There are a few switches, some collapses, and some quick close-outs. They fight around the glass. They make life tough in the paint. And they’re not afraid to assert their physicality to protect the rim.
We’ve also seen some versatility in recent weeks. Putting Tatum on big men with a center in the roaming position. Having Jrue Holiday guard up to negate advantages on switches. Joe Mazzulla isn’t afraid to get creative with his game plans, and the Celtics aren’t showing any fear in their execution.
I’ll leave you with another defensive clip that caught my eye.
#4 Sam Hauser keeps adding to his game
Sam Hauser’s dunks are fun, aren’t they? They’ve definitely been an unforeseen addition to his game this year. Yet, a more logical addition that’s started to appear is his willingness to drive closeouts along the baseline or toward the center of the court.
The above clip is from Friday’s game. The clip below is from Sunday.
Both clips show Hauser taking advantage of his shooting gravity by driving a closeout. The fun thing is each clip shows a different outcome and why having the ability to put the ball on the court and drive past your defender in those scenarios is so important. I’ve already written about why I liked the assist from Hauser in the first clip.
However, in the second clip, I really like how he stayed composed and got the finish despite the defender closing out on him.
#5 Payton Pritchard is back on track
Pritchard has endured a slow start to the season. However, he looks like he’s turned the corner. When on the court, he’s mixing up his pace hitting his shots (we need to talk about his corner shooting at some point.) For now, though, it’s his rebounding and defensive hustle that is letting him make his presence known.
As a second-string guard, Pritchard is proving that he can adapt his role based on team needs. Considering he’s backing up Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, that is the perfect mindset to have off the bench. On Friday, Boston needed a scoring punch. On Sunday, it was about playing high-intensity defense and putting in an effort on the glass. Pritchard rose to the occasion in both instances.
#6 Gettin’ Nerdy With It: Ram actions
We’ve looked at “Ram actions” before. However, the Celtics had some success with them against the Magic on Sunday, and they’re quickly becoming a core part of the team’s offensive system, especially when looking to generate and attack mismatches. So, I wanted to take a look at two possessions out of Boston’s “ram” series again today.
The first clip is of a “ram pop.” Notice how Tatum drags out his dribble after the screen to draw two defenders with him and create the shooting space for Kristaps Porzingis, who is operating as the second screener in the ram action and the popper (because he pops off the screen.)
The possession starts with Tatum being guarded by Jalen Suggs. Derrick White sets the down screen for Porzingis, who then sets the ball screen for Tatum. The aim here is to force a switch and get Tatum a favorable matchup on Goga Bitadze. Rather than driving straight off the screen, Tatum drags his dribble toward the wing, bringing both Bitadze and Suggs with him.
Porzingis has popped into space on the perimeter and is wide open. Tatum finds him with the pass, Bitzade is slow to recover, and boom, an easy three.
Here, we see the Celtics go to a counter out of their “ram” action, as the Magic defense defends the set well. With two defenders looking to pressure Brown, Hauser comes off his screen and becomes a short-roll outlet for Brown.
From there, Hauser has a straight-line drive to the rim. Isaac digs from the strong side but doesn’t get deep enough to pressure the dribble. As such, Hauser’s biggest task is finishing through contact on the way to the hoop, which he does with little issues.
I liked this play for two reasons. 1 — Because the Celtics had a counter to the Magic’s defense. 2 — Because Hauser showed that he can embrace physicality on the offensive end, while still staying composed and getting the finish.
#7 That Tatum block
Loved the block. Loved the rotation on defense. Loved the energy for the celebration.
Tatum read the offense well. Brown had been put into a tough spot on the weak side, where he was tasked with limiting drives and keeping track of shooters. A cut-and-replace action between Suggs and Caleb Houston created some confusion for Brown, allowing Paolo Banchero (what a player) to dart toward the rim.
Tatum followed the action, timed his rotation, and got the block on his fellow Duke product.
#8 Sticking with Tatum for a moment
A lot has been said about Tatum’s production in recent weeks. For some, his perimeter shooting has failed to impress. Others believe he’s coasting too frequently. There’s a fair and valid argument for both of those observations.
However, Tatum has notoriously ramped up his production after the All-Star break. He spends the opening months feeling things out, getting comfortable with his teammates, and then, as the playoffs draw near, clicks into a new gear.
I like what Tatum has been offering this season. He’s playing solid defense and has shown major improvements in his processing speed and passing ability. He’s become a rebound vacuum. And he’s added a post-game to his scoring profile along with a bigger focus on getting downhill to pressure the rim.
The Celtics are constructed so that they’re not reliant on specific players. Everyone is sacrificing and everyone will have nights where they step up. As the season wears on and the games get more intense, Tatum will undoubtedly begin to remind everyone why he’s expected to be at an MVP level.
#9 Al Horford continues to show no signs of aging
Whenever Horford steps onto the court, he’s making a big impact. His commitment to rebounding has been vital to the Celtics this season, as has his willingness to make quick passes and continue taking open threes.
Against the Magic, I loved this touch pass to find Brown open in the corner, despite Horford being the one who sprinted the whole court and had a potential bucket waiting for him as a result.
I keep folders on my hard drive from every game. They’re filled with notes and clips. I also keep a notebook where I write down thoughts from each game. On both my hard drive and in my notebook, I have this play labeled as “Horford Unselfishness.”
You can see by how Horford has positioned his body on the catch that he’s only thought is creating a high quality look. He had no intention of hammering the rock home despite being relatively open around the rim. All of this after beating everyone up the floor at 37 years old.
When players talk of selfless plays that become infectious for their teammates, it’s moments like this that they’re referencing.
#10 Inverted dunker spot roles
This is more of a general observation of the season so far. Mazzulla has been using Holiday, White, and even Lamar Stevens as inverted dunker spot guys. What you lose in vertical spacing, you make up for in decision-making and versatility. Everyone Mazzulla is positioning down low is a threat off the dribble, can hit floaters, and has enough lower body strength to hold their own when posting people up.
I like that Mazzulla is mixing things up on both sides of the court. It bodes well for later in the season when that type of creativity is necessary to beat scouting reports and break down more robust defenses as teams chase seeding and begin ramping up for the postseason.
The Celtics are 20-5 right now. They’ve won all 14 of their home games. There’s a lot to like.
Looking ahead
Up next is a difficult West Coast road trip. Games against the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, LA Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers all await the Celtics. This will be a great test for this roster, as the last time Boston had a West Coast swing like this, the wheels fell off. The next four games will give us a better idea of where this team is compared to last year and what they need to continue working on moving forward.
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