If you are a Celtics fan you wake up this Thanksgiving morning thankful for how the season has started. That’s because without the game-altering shot-blocking of Robert Williams to be counted on until late December at best and with the team being led by an untested 34-year-old coach in the wake of the Ime Udoka disaster, you really had no idea what direction it would all take.
But with a seven-game winning streak in progress and an NBA-best 11-3 record as I write this for my early Thanksgiving deadline, things couldn’t have gone much better.
Here’s how it all went down.
Differences From Last Year: There was a lot of hand-wringing early on because the defense wasn’t as stingy as it had been in the run to the NBA Finals, when they had the top-ranked D in basketball. First, I don’t know why anyone expected them to match that with Lob it to Rob on the DL. But judging defense is also not solely done with points allowed, as that’s often a function of pace of play, because it reduces the number of possessions a team has to score. And with them leading the league in scoring at 120 points a game they are running more and thus the possessions are way up. A more reliable indicator is the shooting percentage by the bad guys because it shows how they are defending in each individual possession. It’s up a bit; not having Williams could account for that. So I don’t think the D is that off overall as the points allowed suggest.
What To Like Best: The passing has improved. Ditto for the ball movement in half court, which is different from find-the-open-man creative passing. Both of which speak to why the scoring is up. But what I like best is how well they are playing together. They’re tight. They know who’s open and get them the ball with no dilly-dallying and it doesn’t matter who it is. That’s a sign of a good team.
Leadership: Given the job, Udoka last year and the choice to replace him with a guy who was just 34 and had never been a head coach above Division 2 was a bit concerning. While I’m not ready to put him in the Hall of Fame just yet, I like what I have seen so far for two reasons. They have kept all the improvements that came last year from Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, like better shot selection and taking it to the basket being the first option. And they are running much more, which accentuates the athletic advantage Tatum and Brown offer. You really won’t be able to judge it until a bad stretch hits and the big games arrive. But so far so good on Joe Mazzulla.
The Stars
Jayson Tatum: Contrary to the gushing from the cheerleader (Scal) and Sean Grande, he hasn’t even been the best player those watching this year have seen. That would be Donovan Mitchell, who outplayed him down the stretch and in OTs in both losses to Cleveland. But he has clearly taken up a step over last year and is now legitimately moving up the list of the best Celtics. With the year he’s having, I might take him over Paul Pierce because he’s a better passer and defender.
Jaylen Brown: Extreme athleticism that lets him defend and rebound aside, what I like about him is how he adds something new to his game each year. This year it’s better passing and court awareness, which has made him even better.
Marcus Smart: He’s finally become a real point guard as opposed to a guy doing that because he’s the only one they have to play there. He now directs the action, gets the ball to people when they can do something with it, and has dramatically improved his shot selection, which has improved his three-point shooting. He also scores below the foul line on pull-up Js and post ups, which he’s good at because of his strength. And then there’s the reason I never would have traded him when others wanted to: his toughness.
Al Horford: I love this guy because he’s the most under-appreciated player in the NBA. A versatile defender who can cover anyone over 6’6”, who doesn’t need shots but can make them from distance when it counts. The backbone of the team.
The Depth: The 2016-2017 dumpster fire season’s depth hurt them because most of the players were even in talent with skills that duplicated each other and all thought they should play more. This bench is deep but constructed with guys who have specific roles and skills. The leader is Malcolm Brogdon, who I’d been begging Danny Ainge to trade for for four years. He is a consistent and clutch scorer who is great at getting below the foul line to score or dish. As much as I focus on what he’s not (not tall enough, limited offensively) Grant Williams is really reliable. What I should focus on is that he’s always in the right place, a versatile defender who does the dirty work and puts in the work needed to get better as his expanding offensive game shows. The other guys like Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet are looking for a chance to play and are happy when it comes.
Biggest Surprise: When newly signed Danilo Gallinari went down for the year this summer many wanted a quick trade. Rather than panic, Brad Stevens elected to see what the untested Hauser could do in that role, and it looks like he was right. Again, it’s just 14 games, so no HoF nomination until we see how he does when teams make it a priority to give him no room to shoot. But with him shooting them at 48.5 percent, the jolt he gives off the bench is a plus, even when targeted for a defensive mismatch.
Hopefully it all continues.
Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.
