The Boston Celtics summer time league is over. Regardless of ending their participation with a 2-3 report, there have been some enjoyable video games over the previous week, with a number of members of D.J. MacLeay’s rotation impressing when given the chance. Even Jordan Walsh — who had struggled by 4 video games, discovered a solution to erase a few of his powerful nights from our reminiscence courtesy of his efficiency on Sunday.
Nevertheless, it was Boston’s two new rookies who stood out. We’ve already checked out Baylor Scheierman at what he may doubtlessly carry to the Celtics rotation. When you missed that, you will discover it right here.
Right now, we’re wanting on the different new addition to Boston’s rotation: Anton Watson. The younger “tweener” had a robust Summer season League exhibiting. He averaged 11.8 factors, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists whereas capturing 51.1% from the sphere and 35% from deep.
Moderately than taking a look at each side of Watson’s ability set, we’re going to concentrate on the areas that might translate to a possible position in Boston or Maine. These areas are: Off-ball reducing, perimeter playmaking, catch-and-shoot threes and protection. Watson does have extra to his sport than these 4 areas, however as we transfer towards coaching camp and, in the end, the beginning of the season, any potential position he receives will possible comprise these abilities.
Off-ball reducing
Throughout his closing season with Gonzaga, 17.1% of Watson’s total offensive manufacturing got here by way of off-ball reducing. He shot 66.2% in these situations, going 47-of-71.
In Summer season League, Watson usually contains 4 offensive play sorts: ground spacer, ball handler, screener, and DHO initiator. Nevertheless, on the NBA degree, the place touches are a lot tougher to come back by, Watson would possible depend on his reducing means to generate scoring alternatives for himself and others.
These alternatives received’t all the time come by reducing towards the rim. He may additionally minimize onto the perimeter courtesy of exit screens or pin-downs, the place he may then circulation right into a capturing movement or present some secondary creation.
Understanding that Watson can work with out the ball and nonetheless be efficient is encouraging.
Nonetheless, Watson’s lack of dimension does place a query mark over his inside scoring on the subsequent degree. At 6-foot-8, Watson is liable to getting stuffed on the rim or being compelled to flee dribble and gradual the offense down.
Defenders within the NBA are stronger, quicker and extra explosive. If Watson needs to be a multi-level scoring risk, he should add some methods to his inside scoring sport whereas additionally packing on energy to complete by contact.
His lack of dimension and energy is a major motive why I don’t count on his post-up sport to translate from the school to the professionals, which is why we received’t be taking a look at that play kind at the moment. For reference, he took 65 pictures out of post-ups, capturing 47.7%.
What we now have seen, although, is that Watson is a succesful post-passer. He has good imaginative and prescient, makes fast reads, and has the dimensions to see over perimeter defenders in the event that they attempt to stress him with digs into the publish.
Boston’s publish offense is normally reserved for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Vacation and Kristaps Porzingis. Al Horford might function in there now and again, too. Nevertheless, until Watson has minimize off a display screen and located himself in a post-up place, I don’t envision him needing to create from the block on a constant foundation — at the very least, not in the course of the earlier years of his profession.
As a substitute, the position we’ve seen from him in Summer season League is probably going what he can be tasked with within the NBA (and G-League).
A fringe hub
After I consider how Watson may crack the primary Celtics rotation, it’s this play that involves thoughts. Joe Mazzulla’s offensive system relies on a five-out offense. As such, the massive have to be dependable on the perimeter, not solely as a scorer but additionally as a creator and screener.
Within the above clip, Watson initiates two separate dribble hand-offs. He additionally fakes a DHO with JD Davison. He units a number of screens. After which, when the spacing is there, and the nook is empty, he rolls towards the rim, offering a passing outlet for Jordan Walsh, and will get a simple bucket because the reward for all of his arduous work.
Watson’s fingerprints are throughout that play. His willingness to maneuver the rock, assault second-side actions, and benefit from the area his work has created are all encouraging indicators of a possible match inside Boston’s system.
Right here’s one other instance. As soon as once more, Watson is tasked with working on the perimeter in a delay motion. And as soon as once more, Watson showcases his endurance and willingness to let issues unfold round him. The play ends in a flare display screen for Baylor Scheierman. The shot doesn’t fall, however the half-court motion involving Watson is our focus on this occasion, and in that respect, he showcased his perimeter creation means.
Watson’s perimeter-based sport does have shades of Al Horford. He’s a cellular screener, performs at his personal tempo and tempo, can rating off the catch on the perimeter and within the nook, has some post-creation abilities. The rookie has beforehand spoken about studying from the not too long ago topped champion huge man.
“Capturing is clearly a giant piece. Form of like that Al Horford position. He’s an awesome shooter. I believe studying from him goes to be large for me and really all of the veterans on this group,” Watson stated. “Capturing goes to be large and simply my protection, utilizing that to my strengths and popping out and guarding each single sport. That’s going to be huge for me. Yeah, capturing goes to open up my offensive means, however protection is the place I’m sturdy at.”
Catch-and-shoot 3s
Let’s begin by taking a look at Watson’s year-by-year catch-and-shoot numbers since he entered his rookie season with Gonzaga.
12 months 1, 2019-20: Watson took shot 7 catch-and-shoot three-point pictures, hitting 1, 14.3% conversion charge.
12 months 2, 2020-21: Watson took 16 pictures, hitting 3, 18.8% conversion charge.
12 months 3, 2021-22: Watson took 13 pictures, hitting 3, 23.1% conversion charge.
12 months 4, 2022-23: Watson took 32 pictures, hitting 10, 31.3% conversion charge
12 months 5, 2023-24: Watson took 29 pictures, hitting 12, 41.4% conversion charge.
In summer time league, Watson took 12 pictures, hitting 4 of them with a 33.3% conversion charge.
Pictures just like the one within the clip above are going to be there for Watson on the NBA and G-League degree. If he can get comfy re-locating into the nook and offering a catch-and-shoot launch valve for the penetrating ball-handler, he’ll get loads of reps to proceed growing his shot, mechanics and vary.
Horford took 257 nook threes final season, knocking them down at a 42% clip. The shot will probably be there for Watson when he’s on the court docket, as will the spacing and creation to present him high-quality makes an attempt. The remainder will probably be on him to maintain engaged on his shot, constructing rhythm and ensuring his movement is repeatable.
You’ll be able to see a really related play (and consequence) within the clip above, this time coming from the alternative nook. As soon as once more, the ball-handler has engaged the protection, created area for Watson off the catch, and the Gonzaga product will get the shot to fall. We’ve seen the Celtics thrive off these spray actions since Mazzulla took over the pinnacle teaching gig, so it is sensible to imagine Watson may spell minutes in an identical three-and-d position.
On this clip, you’ll be able to see Watson run the ground to supply a “pitch-ahead” outlet in transition. When the ball doesn’t discover Watson close to the rim, he rapidly relocates to fill the nook. JD Davison assaults off a stampede minimize, attracts a number of defenders and sprays the ball out to Watson for a wide-open three.
We’ve now seen three completely different clips of Watson hitting nook threes, all by way of dribble-drive penetration dishes. These are the precise kind of pictures he’ll get with Boston and sure in Maine, too. The extra of these he can take, the higher he’ll get.
In fact, we’ve additionally seen that he’s able to hitting a pull-up in area, too, which is significant for when he’s working as a creation hub within the delay.
Protection
Throughout his closing 12 months in Gonzaga, Watson spent plenty of time guarding on the perimeter, primarily getting switched onto guards or smaller wings. The outcome was he typically acquired beat off the dribble. He additionally acquired caught when making an attempt to rotate early, typically discovering himself having to shut out arduous on shooters.
When guarding spot-up capturing possessions just like the one above, Watson held his opponents to a 50.9 efficient area aim proportion, with them hitting 40% of their area targets and 38.2% of their threes.
Watson did have higher success in summer time league, primarily because of being matched up with forwards and barely getting caught on powerful switches. He additionally spent extra time guarding nook shooters, which allowed him to make use of his dimension and talent to regulate angels to restrict his opponents.
The above clip is the kind of defensive possession and position we should always count on to see from Watson. Tasked with guarding the nook, offering assist protection across the rim, and switching on screens. He has the lateral quickness, low heart of gravity and physique management to chop off the court docket when guarding with the sideline and baseline as further defenders.
His drawback is when he’s tasked with guarding in area. Watson acquired dragged into 11 isolation defensive possessions in summer time league, together with his opponents capturing 72.7% towards him. At this level in his growth, he’s higher suited as a supplementary defender who can guard fours and fives and defend the nook. If he’s switched onto faster, shifter gamers, he struggled to maintain tempo with them.
Watson has some work to do on the defensive finish. Don’t let his PnR defensive numbers idiot you, both. Synergy has tracked him as holding opposing ball-handlers to 24.4% capturing when working because the PnR ball-handler defender, indicating he can maintain his personal in a switch-based system.
Nevertheless, when diving into the movie, nearly all of these possessions are show-and-recover, which means Watson didn’t really contest the shot however restricted the ball-handler from penetrating earlier than recovering to the rolling huge.
Watson has the instruments to develop into a dependable defender on the NBA degree. Nevertheless, it might be an space that limits his means to crack the rotation over the subsequent 12 months or two whereas he continues to develop that facet of his sport. Nonetheless, if he can maintain stable protection throughout the low helpline and impression nook shooters whereas additionally rotating as a helper, he ought to have an outlined position if he will get his quantity referred to as.
In any case, Watson was a late second-round draft choose; anticipating him to be a completed product is unfair. Whereas his offensive sport has clear NBA translatability, his protection should catch up, particularly after being drafted by a group that prides itself on being a lockdown unit.
Closing ideas
Watson emerged as my favourite Celtic at summer time league. His NBA-ready strategy on offense, coupled together with his private tempo made him a enjoyable prospect to trace. His protection didn’t look to misplaced because of his outlined position, and for essentially the most half, he projected as somebody who may doubtlessly spell minutes in a pinch.
Nevertheless, with summer time league now within the historical past books and a few extra movie work beneath my belt, I wouldn’t count on to see an excessive amount of of the Gonzaga alumn within the coming season. He must significantly enhance his protection if he’s going to carry his personal on the NBA degree — with guarding in area being a major focus level, in my view.
Fortuitously for Watson, he’s landed on a Celtics group that has confirmed to be gifted at growing expertise lately. If he could make some strides on the defensive facet of the ball, he might be knocking on the door for a rotation spot subsequent season when each Horford and Luke Kornet will probably be reaching the top of their present contracts. That timeline appears affordable and doubtlessly achievable for Watson.
For now, it will likely be enjoyable monitoring his progress in Maine.
CelticsBlog graciously allowed this text to be cross-posted from my “Celtics Chronicle” e-newsletter.
