Marcus Good and Damon Stoudamire not often left one another’s facet. Earlier than video games, Stoudamire awaited Good’s entrance to the courtroom, usually the ultimate Celtics participant to heat up on sport nights. Stoudamire rebounded and set him up throughout the courtroom, within the lane, throughout the three-point line and awaited Good’s tried backwards shot from the nook that wowed arriving crowds lower than half-hour earlier than tip-off.
Related scenes performed out at practices and shootaround. Whereas Stoudamire moved into an affiliate place this yr, admittedly by the troublesome circumstances of his long-time pal and former teammate Ime Udoka’s suspension, he remained glued to Good, like his private assistant — till their bittersweet parting following Monday’s loss at Houston. Two days later, Good posted an Instagram story lamenting the arrival of the primary sport with out him.
Stoudamire’s departure comes amidst Good’s longest prolonged battle since changing into the group’s level guard to start final season. Good dedicated a charging turnover, shot 1-for-5 from three and fouled out within the fourth of their ultimate sport collectively, as if their partnership had been already over.
Regardless of Good’s troubling return from damage, head coach Joe Mazzulla stays dedicated to him. “You earn that belief when he’ll open up to you about sure issues and various things,” Stoudamire advised CLNS Media/CelticsBlog in October, explaining their relationship. “It’s simply speaking in regards to the little issues, the nuances. I feel that quite a lot of issues he does for this group go unnoticed and I simply attempt to maintain encouraging, after which, the one factor that I feel for me is at all times locking him again into the turnovers — the careless turnovers that’s.”
“I feel Marcus is a good passer, facilitator. Typically he will get a bit bit careless with the move. I feel that these are one of many issues, after which two, I simply suppose maintaining us organized. These are the largest issues for me, that’s actually essential. When it comes to photographs and all that stuff, I don’t say nothing. I don’t coach that. I attempt to coach the issues, controlling the group, understanding what the sport wants.”
The Celtics badly want Good to regain his passing stature atop an offense that ranked No. 1 all-time in offensive score by 26 video games. Crunch time effectiveness eludes them, and Good’s -1.4 internet score in these conditions for the reason that All-star break, alongside his team-worst -39 (+/-) locations strain on Mazzulla to scale back his share — or steadiness the guard minutes.
Solely two guard spots change into out there in closing lineups, until Boston performs all three, and that trio netted -18.0 of their 30 most up-to-date minutes. It’s changing into tougher to justify sitting Derrick White, who boasts a +3.8 internet score to steer all guards late in shut video games and averaged 13.5 factors per sport on 50.5% taking pictures over his final 11 video games. Malcolm Brogdon, taking pictures 45.6% from three because the common season wanes, seems to be like a shoe-in for these moments.
Mazzulla emphasizes the significance of closing and opening earlier quarters, somewhat than putting an outsized give attention to these ultimate 5 minutes of fourth quarters in video games performed inside 5 factors. His stressing of rebounding, the free throw battle and turnovers powered a uncommon win the place the Celtics shot 30% from three towards the Wolves. They entered the night time shedding 17-of-26 once they shot under the league common (36%) from deep.
Good secured a steal early within the fourth quarter on Naz Reid, drew a technical on Naz Reid from the alternate and aggressively shot the open three Grant Williams grabbed that secured the win, offering three of these 4 elements. These Good performs make his late sport inclusion engaging towards statistical proof.
“I at all times felt like the largest attribute, from an intangible standpoint, is that he was a winner,” Stoudamire stated. “In comparison with the guards within the league immediately, particularly the purpose guards, most of them are scoring guards. Marcus isn’t actually in that nature. He’s actually type of a throwback to be trustworthy with you, when it comes to how he performs. That’s completely different in itself, however with the ability to, for instance, guard one by 5 on the ground and be a catalyst and ignite us on that finish of the ground to get us going.”
“He’s accepting of Jayson and Jaylen and understanding that these are our guys, however on the similar time, he’ll allow them to know once they should be higher as nicely … these are the issues that I attempt to assist him with. The most important factor that ties into all of that’s you possibly can’t maintain different guys accountable and be a frontrunner, until you’re going to carry your self to the identical normal, as a result of management doesn’t have something to do with what number of factors or rebounds or assists you’ve bought. Management has to do with being constant daily.”
The analytical Mazzulla can’t ignore the stats, although, because the playoffs method, particularly if Good is hurting an excessive amount of to supply persistently. 9 years confirmed Celtics followers the distinction between him at his greatest and his most irritating.
Earlier this season, Good’s outlet passes, his two-man sport with Jayson Tatum, and the occasional post-up settled somewhat than exacerbated offensive points for the Celtics. Now, a unit that slows down with double digit leads and tries to expire the clock, somewhat than working what it did all sport, ranks final in fourth quarter offensive score, scoring 101.9 factors per 100 possessions.
As the heart beat for the second quickly turns into a much bigger deal within the strain cooker of the postseason, Mazzulla wants to decide on nightly between Good’s intangibles and White’s confirmed connective talents. For Good — as Stoudamire and Mazzulla pressured — humility should drive no matter contributions the Celtics ask from him this spring.
“From afar, I believed that he was good at that, however since I’ve been right here, I’ve thought he’s achieved an awesome job and I feel that he’s purchased in,” Stoudamire stated. “That’s at all times the important thing, is purchase in. It’s been a pleasure being round him for this final yr.”
