The Way The Celtics Have Started The Season Is Beyond Intoxicating
After the Celts opened the season with two games that took years off our lives, you could say they and we were due for a stress free night of basketball. Lord knows that's not always going to be the case moving forward, and if we're in the trust tree and being honest with one another, it's also not always a guarantee when facing a rebuilding/lottery team like the Wizards. Count on your fingers how many times over the last few years we've seen the Celts go into a game like last night and get punched in the mouth because they overlooked a bad opponent? By my calculations, you're out of fingers and have probably moved onto your toes.
So to see this version of the Celts come out and essentially end this game in the first few minutes was a nice little Monday night surprise. Part of it is probably more of how brutal the Wizards are, but that's not my problem or my concern. The team I care about looked fantastic as long as the regulars were on the floor, and that's all that matters. We woke up today with one undefeated team in the East, and it should be no surprise who that team is
Want to know the scary part? The Celts can play even better. The starting backcourt only took 10 FGA (White 3, Holiday 7) and they still won their minutes by a billion. The primary guard off the bench did not make a single one of his 8 FGA. It didn't matter. So if you are under the impression that what we saw last night was the Celts hitting their ceiling, I regret to inform you that we haven't even come close to seeing this team's ceiling yet and they are a dominant 3-0.
How rare is what we're watching? Well, the Celts haven't been 3-0 in back to back seasons since like 1975, and last time I checked it was 2023. I'd say 95% of the people reading this blog weren't alive the last time the Celtics did what they've done to start this season. Generations of Celtics teams were never able to do it. While that doesn't really mean all that much in the grand scheme of things, I still find it pretty cool.
But nothing will ever be cooler than watching this team blow out an opponent by showing no mercy. That's what last night was, so let's talk about it.
The Good
- Remember less than a week ago when there were people with serious takes about Jaylen Brown's offense? He wasn't going to accept his role! The supermax was a disaster! Blah blah blah, we heard it all after his brutal opener.
Since?
31.5/6.0/1.5 on 52/50% splits with 5.5 3PM a night
Almost like this All NBA player is pretty fucking good! But hey, maybe you're more of a visual learner like me. That's cool, the visuals are just as awesome as the numbers
We witnessed one of the best shooting performances of Jaylen's career last night, and that's not hyperbole. His 27 first half points with 7 3PM were legitimately the best first half numbers of his career. As he usually does, First Quarter Jaylen got things started with 16/4 on 6-9 (4-5) in the first quarter and the rest was history. It was very clear the Wizards had two choices to start this game, either they were going to allow Porzingis to score every time he touched the ball around the basket, or they were going to be crushed by Jaylen Brown. Those two combined for 26 first quarter points which is impressive when you realize the Wizards as a team had just 19 in the opening frame.
Jaylen wasn't done of course with another big 2nd quarter (11 points on 3-6, 3-5), and while watching him get whatever he wanted on the floor was nice, we've seen Jaylen explode offensively before. What I continue to be impressed with are the things we ALL wanted Jaylen to improve on over the summer. He looks WAY more patient on drives, taking his time (with either hand) and not really forcing things. We're not seeing him dribble into traffic anywhere close to the frequency of last season, and his willingness and vision as a passer are noticeably better. Jaylen didn't have a single turnover in his 31 minutes last night, which tells me that even when he had everything going he stayed within the flow of the game and took what was there.
It was essentially a perfect Jaylen performance no matter where you looked. He shot great, he tied for the team in rebounds, he led the team in +/- with a +32, he didn't turn it over, he had 3 steals and 1 block. It was everything you want to see from one of your franchise guys.
- The beauty of this team of course is that just when you think you're getting a break in a game like this when Jaylen goes to the bench, the problem is now you get to handle Jayson Tatum. You know, the MVP candidate Jayson Tatum. This guy
If you thought Jaylen was getting whatever he wanted, well how do you think Tatum did? Just a little 14-21 (4-9) shooting and a +27 in his 27 minutes. When both the Jays are locked in like this, the Celtics morph into a version of themselves that is truly unstoppable. Both taking care of the ball, both lights out from the floor, and we had a situation where essentially through 3 quarters the Jays were matching the Wizards total points 67 to 69.
It was very clear from the start of this game that the Wizards did not have the wing defense to cause any sort of issue for either guy, and then adding in the fact that they basically played without a center, each guy got to the rim with ease. The biggest difference to my eyes is the work Tatum is doing out of the post. We're seeing him start posting up smaller defenders from the goddamn three point line and the results have been insane.
To start this season, Tatum currently has a 15.8% (!!!!!!) Post Up Frequency and is averaging 1.17 ppp on 55.6% shooting. That is ridiculous. For reference, Tatum had just a 5.1% frequency last year. So if it feels like Tatum is making way more of a conscious effort to get into post and play bully ball, it's because he is. Sam Cassell, you have worked miracles on us all. Now just think of what adding this element means for Tatum if his three point shooting is also back. We're back up to 37% for the season for Tatum from deep, which is the highest we've seen since 2020-21, and the good news is his volume is as high as ever at 9.0 a game.
So, just think about this. If Tatum chooses to take you into the post, that's a bucket. If you cheat on a screen when he has the ball or you overhelp someone and Tatum is off ball, that's a bucket from deep. What exactly is a defender supposed to do with this? All I can think of is pray.
- Quick check on Year 2 Mazzulla Ball
Yup, still rules.
Last night was a perfect example of Mazzulla Ball at its highest potency. With the Wizards without size, the Celts made sure to exploit that, finishing with 52 points in the paint. When they weren't getting whatever they wanted down low, the ball moved and guys took their open 3PA with confidence. It's very hard to beat this team if they are going to make 19 3PM and have 31 AST on 51 FGM. Teams simply do not have the firepower to hang when that happens, especially when the entire team is locked in defensively as well
Shit, the Celts only shot 35% from deep as a team and their two snipers went a combined 2-15 from deep and it STILL didn't matter. What a luxury.
- Every time I watch Kristaps Prozingis play I repeatedly say the same thing to myself. I cannot believe this is a real person/player/human. He's a cheat code
Brad Stevens you evil fucking genius. A light 15/6/3 on 7-9 (1-2) and a +30 in his 23 minutes, watching KP abuse his former team almost felt mean. It looked like when you're at a basketball camp and the counselor is playing all his little kids. He's just too big. I'm certain that if they wanted to, they could have gone to KP for an easy layup every single time down the floor because who the hell was providing any sort of resistance?
Just listen to how happy this man is. The Celtics have clearly changed his life
Every time this guy is in front of a mic talking about what it's like to play for this team, all he does is shake his head and laugh with disbelief. He can barely believe this is his life right now. Welcome to basketball heaven Kristaps, it's been a pleasure to have you.
- The team obviously didn't need their offense, but I was very pleased with both Bald Derrick and Jrue Holiday doing everything else. Defensively they were nails, both guys snagged another block (Jrue had 2), White led the team with 8 assists, Jrue did a little bit of everything with his 11/5/3, both guys were efficient, both played under 30 minutes and both were at least a +27.
The best way I could describe both is they play very loud, but you almost never actually hear him. Just two quiet assasins who make life hell for opposing guards on both ends.
- Largest lead was 37, game was never tied, there was never a lead change, I mean holy hell. Talk about a wire to wire ass kicking.
- I'm intrigued by what we saw from both Lamar Stevens and Svi in that disaster bench 4th quarter. Nobody else seems to be ready to contribute, so let's see Joe give those guys some actual run. Why not? Stevens gives you toughness and energy, Svi gives you shooting and shot creation at good size. If the snipers aren't making shots, something is going to have to change.
The Bad
- How bad could things have been in a game the Celts once led by 37? Admittedly, there's not a ton to choose from for this section. Maybe the second quarter defense if you had to twist my arm. After their hot start the Wizards came back and threw up a 32 spot on 52/50% shooting, mostly with Kuzma going right at (and scoring) on Tatum. Of course it didn't really matter because the Celts put up 35 of their own in that quarter, but I wouldn't ever suggest giving up 32 points on 52/50% is "good", so I feel like that fits here.
- This isn't really on the top 6 guys, but 17 TOs is once again too many. If there's one negative to the start of the year, it's how careless the Celtics have been with the basketball. I largely attribute that to guys getting familiar with one another, but the Celts have started the year in the bottom third in terms of TOs per game.
- It's not often you see a 26-7 FTA difference and the team with 7 FTA wins by a billion. A 21-13 foul difference felt a little odd, but that's nothing new. Especially coming off the Heat game. What I don't understand is how the Celts are still getting this brutal if a whistle despite not bitching ANYWHERE close to what they used to. You'd think that would help them this season because it always felt like if there was a 50/50 call the Celts never got the benefit of the doubt because they never stopped bitching. It was almost as if the officials made a call out of spite or something.
The Ugly
- Alright, time to talk about the biggest concern not just from last night, but of the early season.
The bench has fucking sucked.
Mind you, I mean everyone outside of Al. For the rest of the season when I say the bench, just know I don't mean Al. He's perfect.
The rest though?
Awful. While Sam Hauser's defense has been OK, he's not out there to lock people down. He's there to get buckets. After a 3-10 (2-9) performance, Hauser is now shooting 25/20% on the season.
Payton Pritchard entered the season with huge expectations. Not just because of his extension, but because of the opportunity that opened up with Brogdon gone. He's responded by having a horrific start to the season. He too is out there to get buckets, and Pritchard has started the year with 15/10% splits. He's essentially done nothing with his minutes but turn it over. A brutal 0-8 (0-6) with 4 TOs from him last night, this may have been the worst I've ever seen Pritchard play.
While it's early, this is the shit that keeps me going back to the 2021-22 season when the bench had very similar issues and it was a killer. So much so that Brad had to go out and trade for Brogdon. Add in a 0-4 from Brissett as well, and those are the top 3 bench guys (outside of Al) who have given you nothing to start the season. That's a very big issue for the regular season. We all know what burnout looks like when the Jays have to do too much, so I need all three of those guys to snap the hell out of it and actually be productive players.
The fact that we even had to remotely sweat this game is inexcusable. All the bench had to do was not shit their pants, and they tossed up a 32-18 4th quarter. No movement on offense, no ball movement, no shot creation, just a bunch of standing around and chucking. When they weren't missing, they were turning it over which also wasn't great. Of those 17 TOs, 10 of them came from the bench. Banton was a -17 in 9 minutes! How is that even possible?
History says this is just a valley in terms of Hauser/Prtichard's shooting, as both guys are 40% career 3P shooters. At the same time, this is now the 3rd game in a row where the bench has been complete dogshit. We're starting to form a trend as opposed to random one off bad performances. The pieces compliment the starters fine, but the issue is when these pieces are asked to do anything outside of just complimenting the stars, it's been a complete disaster.
But hey, it's hard to get too upset about a game like this. The Celts looked incredible. 3-0 is 3-0 and the vibes could not be higher. Some will say it's early and to calm down, and I get that. I would just reply by saying yes, it is early. The Celtics are going to get better than what we've seen to open the season, and that current version is yet to lose. Not bad!