We lastly received our first have a look at the Boston Celtics’ most obvious beginning 5 for subsequent season. Al Horford got here off the bench. Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis thrived in Boston’s distinctive spacing. Jaylen Brown had moments. Jrue Vacation did Jrue Vacation issues. And Derrick White was as regular as ever.
The Celtics regarded each inch the championship contender they’re billed as. The scary half? It’s clear there’s nonetheless some on-court cohesion that should develop. Some passes weren’t anticipated. Others have been too fast or too excessive or too low.
Nonetheless, Joe Mazzulla’s roster is thrilling. They play throughout all three ranges. They defend onerous. They usually execute with tempo and drive. This was our first have a look at the brand new Celtics. It was as encouraging because it will get.
Listed below are 10 takeaways from the Celtics’ October 17 win over the New York Knicks.
# 1 Stagger actions
The Celtics ran quite a lot of stagger actions in opposition to New York. It is smart. Boston has measurement and offensive versatility all through their roster. Putting two scoring threats as screeners and having one other risk working because the ball-handler is a ghoulish recipe for a protection to attempt to include.
The fantastic thing about staggered actions is that they’ll come from anyplace. Early offense. Trailer offense (final gamers to enter the offensive half court docket). On the wings. Across the posts. There are numerous prospects. Boston regarded to make the most of a number of methods of moving into their stagger offense.
Within the above instance, the Celtics have Vacation and Porzingis function as a trailing stagger. Meaning each gamers entered the half-court late and flowed straight right into a stagger display. Neither screener cuts. As a substitute, they stroll towards the free-throw line prolonged, dragging their defenders with them. The result’s an open three for Jaylen Brown.
The above stagger motion for Hauser to get an open three is called a “floppy.” Often, there would even be a single screener on the sturdy facet, giving Hauser his alternative of the place to chop and drag his defender. Nonetheless, that is one other instance of operating a stagger motion to generate high-quality offense. Hauser comes off the floppy motion and steps into an open three within the slot.
I’m positive we will probably be increasingly more of Boston’s stagger actions within the coming weeks and months. They venture to be a staple of the Celtics offense this season.
#2 Getting nerdy: 21 Nash
Okay, only one extra stagger motion. This time, it comes as an early offense sequence referred to as “21.” The identify is fairly easy — the motion (normally) includes each guards. I’ve saved this as a separate takeaway as a result of the mixtures of White + Brown, Vacation + Brown, and White+ Vacation are extremely intriguing.
All three guards have numerous offensive choices and may defend at a excessive degree.
21 actions normally contain an early pitch-ahead go (EPA) from one guard to a different on the wing. What occurs subsequent decides what motion from the 21 sequence the workforce runs. Within the above clip, Vacation hits Brown with the pitch forward after which flows right into a double/stagger display for Brown, which is called 21 Nash.
Once more, the Celtics’ offensive versatility ensures the protection has to respect all three gamers concerned within the motion, together with the 2 which can be spacing the ground on the weak facet of the court docket. Brown curls over the screens and bully-drives his technique to the rim for a simple two.
Brown seems to be jacked, by the way in which. Bully drives must be a staple of his rim-pressure offense this season.
#3 Rising the stress
Curveballs. Going to a full-court press a number of occasions all through the sport was a curveball. All of us have been anticipating to see some further zone protection throughout preseason. As a substitute, the Celtics go to a full-court intense stress protection…and it labored!
I’m not sure whether or not we see the Celtics constantly go to this press protection throughout the common season. Nevertheless, it is definitely a viable possibility with the scale, size, and tenacity inside their top-6/top-7 rotation. At occasions, the Knicks rotation regarded shell-shocked by how a lot stress the Celtics have been making use of within the press, and it led to some sped-up decision-making from New York. I preferred it. It was enjoyable.
#4 Going tremendous massive
There was a stretch within the first quarter the place the Celtics went with a lineup of Vacation, Brown, Tatum, Horford, and Porzingis. If I recall, in addition they returned to it within the third. That lineup is extremely massive and has some reliable size. Boston’s means to flit between small-ball and supersized-ball in a matter of minutes will probably be an enormous asset all through the season.
Mazzulla has some severe counters to how groups look to play them, which might be the distinction between a hard-fought loss and a well-earned victory. Groups could have problem adjusting their rotations to succeed in opposition to this model of the Celtics roster.
#5 Tatum within the submit
Tatum was taking part in in his second preseason recreation, having sat the final two. Nevertheless, one factor that has been outstanding all through these two appearances is how incessantly he’s attending to work within the mid-post. That’s to not say we must always anticipate him to dwell on the block and function as an offensive hub. As a substitute, it’s simply one other instance of the flexibility inside his recreation and inside Boston’s new-look offense.
Tatum doesn’t start his offense on the block within the above possession. He does again his man down all the way in which to the basket, although. Tatum, like Brown, seems to be larger this season. He’s added muscle and power. Being able to incomes an inside bucket on this method, with elite shooters spaced throughout you, will guarantee Tatum will get some simple seems to be across the rim all through the season.
As a hat tip, I wish to share a fast clip of Tatum making a rapid-fire learn from the perimeter.
Name it processing pace. Name it the sport slowing down. It doesn’t matter what time period you wish to use. The very fact is, Tatum is seeing the ground faster and making quicker, smarter selections. These passes (we noticed some to Vacation on the block all through the sport, too) will solely assist Boston’s offense get simple buckets throughout the season.
#6 Getting nerdy half 2: Intestine exits
Explaining the terminology: A intestine display faces the baseline and is about across the center of the court docket. An exit display is a display that permits the cutter to exit from a two-point vary onto the perimeter. The Celtics put these two varieties of screens collectively and ran “intestine exits” all through their recreation in opposition to the Knicks. It is a kind of motion we haven’t seen them run a lot throughout the preseason.
I believe we see quite a lot of these actions transferring ahead. Boston has too many high-gravity shooters on their roster to not reap the benefits of actions similar to this one. As Horford units the “intestine exit” display for Brown, two defenders get caught within the paint. Brown flows right into a capturing movement, drawing Donte DiVincenzo away from Jrue Vacation. A fast dump-off go results in a wide-open nook three. Simple cash.
Extra of these, please.
#7 Hauser hustled on protection
Final season, the query was whether or not Hauser might dangle on protection. This season, whether or not Hauser’s defensive upside will preserve him forward of Svi Mykhailiuk within the rotation. Judging from what we noticed in opposition to New York, the reply needs to be sure.
Hauser has developed into greater than a situational defender. Positive, groups aren’t going out of their technique to goal him this yr, however his hustle and energy will guarantee he stays a defensive issue when he’s on the court docket.
I actually preferred this early defensive possession from Hauser and wished to level it out.
Hauser defends three gamers on this place and will get throughout the court docket to contest a second-side motion. Hauser hustles on protection. He had good measurement, good footspeed and has confirmed himself able to hanging in opposition to starter-level expertise. If Hauser can preserve that manufacturing degree going all through the season, he ought to keep forward of Svi within the rotation.
#8 Porzingis and Pritchard: A brand new second-unit duo?
I do know, Porzingis is a starter. Not debating that within the slightest. Nevertheless, NBA rotations are sometimes staggered. Porzingis and Pritchard have flashed early indicators of a growing two-man recreation all through preseason. I jokingly Tweeted that the duo seems like a supercharged model of Phil Pressey and Kelly Olynyk, primarily because of the measurement disparity between the 2 gamers.
This lob play was lovely. After which, it was adopted up by this pick-and-pop possession that received Porzingis a simple three.
If the Celtics can develop some two-man upside with Pritchard coming off the bench, it can give them one other dimension to their offense — not that they want any extra.
#9 A strong possession from Tatum on protection
Cherished this possession from Tatum early within the first quarter. Earlier this summer time, he famous how he needs to earn himself an All-Protection choice; possessions just like the one under are place to begin.
Tatum finds himself being switched onto Mitchell Robinson (whose measurement and power generally gave the Celtics issues.) Tatum fronts Robinson, permitting him to retain contact along with his man whereas dealing with the motion because it unfolds.
Miles McBride creates some area with an up-and-under transfer on Vacation. Tatum is true there to get the swat and kill New York’s offensive possession.
Tatum confirmed some strong basketball IQ with this possession. Not solely is he coping with the largest (and possibly strongest) participant on the ground, however he’s additionally studying the offense and reacting to gaps within the Celtics’ protection. Actually encouraging signal.
#10 Horford coming off the bench
It’s preseason. We will’t learn too deeply into lineups simply but. Nevertheless, Horford coming off the bench felt telling. Horford is 37. He will probably be 38 earlier than the season ends. Final season, Horford sat out the second night time of back-to-backs. By coming off the bench, Horford might stay contemporary all through the season and probably improve his availability.
Mazzulla might go to a double-big lineup to shut out video games. Horford also can begin when one of many new beginning 5 should sit a recreation for no matter motive. To begin final season, I cherished Boston’s single-big lineups. I felt the spacing was higher, the decision-making was faster, and every thing flowed at a dependable tempo. This season, there are two stretch fives in the principle rotation.
You may preserve that spacing when each bigs are on the court docket or have two high-level single-big lineups you possibly can iterate via as wanted. Horford’s transfer to the bench might or might not turn out to be everlasting. The upside of him coming off the bench is smart, although. And, in fact, you possibly can all the time tweak the lineups when matchups require — like video games in opposition to the Philadelphia 76ers or Milwaukee Bucks.
Boston has another preseason recreation remaining. They are going to play the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, October 19. Hopefully, we get one other have a look at the rotation we noticed in opposition to New York, and possibly, we are able to get some extra solutions on Horford’s position for the upcoming season.
