Winning gritty: 10 Takeaways from Celtics/Hornets

#1 Pritchard’s scoring

Payton Pritchard has 110 total points off the bench in Boston’s opening seven games. That ranks him second in the NBA behind Tre Mann. To begin the season, he told the media he’d spent the summer developing his off-the-dribble shooting, resulting in a far more aggressive version of himself around the perimeter.

“Getting more consistent off the dribble from the three-ball,” Pritchard told reporters on Oct. 4. “I thought my finishing and my mid-range game last year took a big jump so I thought that was really good. Obviously, I’m always working on that stuff but if I can be more efficient shooting off the dribble from there, as well as the catch and shoot, that completes my game.”

Against the Hornets, four of his six made threes came off the bounce.

Pritchard is running his defenders into more screens, trusting his handles when the defense loads up, and attacking space off the bounce. As one of the better three-point shooting guards in the league, the addition of an off-the-bounce jumper has unlocked his entire game.

Last season, Pritchard showcased an ability to finish around the rim after creating space via contact — I like to call this “bump creation” — where he would use his shoulders to create separation before finishing around the rim. Due to his improved perimeter game, we haven’t seen much of that to begin the season, however, we did get to see another new wrinkle to his offense on Saturday — a bump-off into a mid-range fadeaway.

Pritchard is playing with the confidence of a champion. I’m all-in on him building a Sixth Man of the Year campaign, and based on his opening run of performances, I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to think he can put himself firmly in the conversation.

#2 White’s fourth-quarter rim protection

Both of Derrick White’s blocked shots came in the fourth quarter. After the Celtics had surrendered their lead during the third, White stepped up as a rim protector when the team needed him most. We’re used to that by now. He’s been doing at a high level for most of his tenure with the Celtics. Still, it’s always fun when he decides it’s time to start a block party.

Here’s the first block. White is the first one back in transition. He gets himself between the ball and the bucket. A hand on Brandon Miller’s hip allows White to feel the momentum shift as Miller goes into a layup, giving him the necessary timing to rise up and contest the shot. Shot blocked, two points potentially saved.

We’ve got to credit Neemias Queta on this play. He went straight up to challenge Miller’s shot attempt — which is an improvement for the young big man. The momentum transfer is what creates the pause effect in mid-air, allowing White to come from behind and get the swat. White thrives as the rear-guard shot-blocker, and I’m always here for it.

I also want to give White’s overall production a shout-out. I said this ad nauseam last season when writing this column: he and Jrue Holiday are elite at scaling their production based on the team’s needs. Without Jaylen Brown in the rotation, White stepped up as a scorer (18 points) and a rebounder (8 rebounds). And that’s before we credit his defense…

For a Celtics team that has struggled when guarding transition this season — Synergy has them sitting 26th in the league, giving up 1.21 points per 100 possessions — White’s hustle to get back on this early possession felt like a tone-setting moment.

#3 Kornet two-way performance

Kornet has redefined how non-shooting bigs can thrive in a five-out offense. He’s earned his spot as a staple in the rotation and never looks out of place when stepping into the starting five. Back in March, I dove into how Kornet’s perimeter-based non-shooting game could translate well to other non-shooting bigs, such as Zach Edey; you can read that here.

Against the Hornets, we saw Kornet produce arguably one of the best games of his career.

Kornet has developed patience as a screener. He knows when to create contact, slip the screen, or pop back onto the perimeter before veering into another screen. His gravity in these actions is three-fold:

1. His size makes him a legitimate vertical floor spacer, regardless of his limited explosivness
2. He has become a high-level secondary creator out of the short roll
3. If he pops back onto the perimeter, he’s a threat when initiating DHOs, knowing when to ‘keep’ and when to hand the rock off.

In the above clip, Kornet has his fingerprints over the entire possession. The Celtics start by running a ‘strong chin’ (reverse the ball by making two passes to the other side of the court, non-ball side cut for the initial ball-handler) action to enter the possession. Kornet then feeds White, who was the ‘chin screener’ for Sam Hauser, before flowing straight into a high PnR.

This is where Kornet’s patience comes into play, and for me, it is one of the most impressive aspects of his role as a perimeter-screening big. He waits for the hedge on White before slipping into the space created by sending two at the ball. Short-roll, White passes, Kornet re-directs, and now the defense is scrambling. Credit Holiday for the middie, too.

Kornet also benefitted from being part of a double-big lineup on defense. He could operate as a drop defender while Horford worked higher up the floor. Or, he could play the weakside roamer role, guarding the corner and rotating over to provide some late-shot contests.

In the above clip, Kornet starts the possession by guarding the perimeter. As Horford is pulled into the action, Kornet goes into a drop defense, timing the drive before contesting the shot.

Overall, Kornet provided a strong display on both ends of the floor. He might not be flashy or takeover a game with dominant athleticism or an endless motor, but he plays the right way and finds ways to make an impact more often or not.

#4 Queta DHO’s

Queta has been learning from Kornet. This side DHO was straight out of Boston’s non-shooting big playbook, using the big size and mobility to create scoring opportunities via re-screens.

One of Queta’s most significant improvements to begin the season has been the amount of space he’s generating with his screens. He’s generating 2.8 screen assists points per game in 12.2 minutes of playing time. Horford leads the team with 7.2, while Kornet is second with 5.6.

Still, Queta’s biggest impact comes via his rim running, rebounding and shot detterance when protecting the rim. He’s slowly getting better at contesting shots without fouling, and has been a genuine lob threat over the past few games.

During Brad Stevens’ tenure as head coach, the center position was always a weak point for the Celtics in terms of depth. Since moving to the front office, Stevens has ensured his own coaches don’t have the same issue, and that depth is now a considerable strength for Joe Mazzulla’s roster.

#5 Hauser attacking closeouts

Hauser started working on attacking closeouts last season. He would take one or two dribbles before pulling up for a mid-range jumper, or he would drive the lane and make a read. We’re seeing more of that to begin this season, with his drive off the perimeter against Charlotte as one of his more confident forays toward the hoop.

The action here is called ‘strong reject.’ Just like the ‘strong’ part of the ‘chin’ action above, it’s simply a ball reversal from one side of the floor to the other using two passes. The ‘reject’ is Holiday rejecting the on-ball screen. Hauser sells his shot, drives the closeout and gets all the way to the cup for an easy two.

Holiday rejecting the screen and relocating to the dunker spot forces LaMelo Ball to become the rim protector on the action, making life easy for Hauser once he gets into the paint.

Oh, and who can forget this beauty of a pass?

#6 Tatum, the scorer

Last season, Jaylen Brown was the tone-setter in the first quarter of games. This year, that responsibility has fallen onto the shoulders of Jayson Tatum.

“It’s something new, because usually I’m the first-quarter guy,” Brown told The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. “I’m the one that’s setting the tone and getting off to a hot start. But I think (coach Mazzulla) wants to switch it up a little bit. I guess it’s cool. I can do whatever our team needs to be done.”

Tatum as the primary scorer has looked good to start the season. Once again, he played all 12 minutes of the first quarter, dropping 13 points, grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out an assist.

The above clip is indicative of the way Tatum has approached offense this season. He finds his spot, works his opponent, and gets the best quality look possible. I love how he sold the drive, sealed Miles Bridges’ hips, and spun off him to create a clean look at the backboard in this play.

More importantly, Tatum didn’t let a dreadful night on the perimeter lessen his impact. He went 1-of-9 from deep, providing flashbacks to April, May and June last season. However, he drew 17 shots from the free-throw line, worth 14 points, and he drained six two-point shots on the night.

Tatum has found his groove early. During the early parts of his career, it was accepted that we wouldn’t see his best until after the All-Star break. If he takes his production up a couple of notches in the months to come, that MVP award he’s been vocally chasing may not be too far away.

Hyperbole? Maybe.

True? Definitely.

#7 Charlotte is disruptive

Charles Lee has already improved the Hornets. They play with a new level of aggression on both sides of the floor. You can see his animated coaching through possessions on the sideline. They’re slowly buying into the little details it takes to be a good defensive team. And sooner or later, they’re going to figure out how to make their talent work for them.

For now, though, they’re a disruptive team that often gets overzealous with their defensive intensity. On Saturday, they registered 25 fouls. LaMelo Ball fouled out for the second straight game.

In total, over the back-to-back, the Hornets had 51 fouls in 96 minutes of play. That’s a lot.

Lee doesn’t want the Hornets to let teams get into a rhythm. He wants the game to be choppy. Chippy. Frustrating. And from there, you can build an identity while keeping teams off their swagger. Doing that to the reigning champions isn’t going to work, but there will be plenty of teams around the NBA where it has the desired effect.

#8 Horford brings balance in the double big

Horford’s presence in game two of the back-to-back had its usual effect. The Celtics looked better on defense. Their offense flowed more. He ended the night with 4 points, six rebounds, and 5 assists — a typical night for the veteran big man who does his work in the margins.

Only Kornet contested more shots for the Celtics (13), with Horford contesting seven two-point attempts and three perimeter jumpers.

Earlier in these takeaways, we looked at how Kornet was able to operate as a weak-side roamer for stretches, primarily due to Horford’s presence on the floor. In the above play, which was an early defensive possession, we can see Horford defending up-to-touch on the screen. That allows the Celtics to switch the action and put Horford onto a ball-handler where necessary. It also adds size on gap or nail help while making three-point shots off PnR actions more difficult to come by.

And how about this defensive possession? Cuts the angle on the initial drive, rotates to get the strip, and then contests the shot without fouling before securing the defensive rebound.

I don’t have to sell you on what Horford brings to Boston’s rotation, or at least, I hope not. He’s a pros pro. He’s a hooper. And when he’s rested and locked in, he’s still one of the most impactful veterans in the league.

#9 Celtics offense was missing the drive-and-kick

Since taking over as head coach, Mazzulla’s bread-and-butter offense has been getting the Celtics to generate high-level opportunities via the drive-and-kick (spray offense). Their screening actions around the perimeter are often designed to create penetration and cause defensive rotations, making kick-outs more valuable.

However, during the third quarter of Saturday’s game, where the ball wasn’t moving, and no one was driving the rock. The Celtics needed paint touches. Badly.

It’s a small sample size, but the Celtics are touching the paint slightly more this season than in 2023-24. Boston ranked 13th in the NBA for paint touches, with 22.2 per game. While this season has a far smaller sample size, they currently sit 13th with 23.4.

Still, ensuring there aren’t many repeats of the third-quarter stagnation moving forward will be necessary.

Considering how dominant the Celtics offense has looked over the first seven games, there’s no reason to be concerned, but it’s definitely something I wanted to point out.

#10 6-1

Outside of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who’ve enjoyed a monster start to the new season, the Celtics have the best record in the Eastern Conference. They’ve won big. They’ve won gritty. And now, they’ve won games where the other team doesn’t want to let them play their own game.

As the defending champions, they’re getting everybody’s best. Other teams see beating the Celtics as a way of proving themselves. In the short term, that means some uncomfortable possessions, but over the season, it’s only going to make Boston better. The Celtics are being battle-tested night in and night out.

6-1 to start the season, with every opponent wanting to knock you off your perch is nothing to whiff at. They turn their attention to the Atlanta Hawks, who are 2-4. Something tells me we could be in for a high-tempo and fun game…And if he plays, which is far from guaranteed right now, a big night from Jaylen Brown.