#1 Pritchard’s streak continues
Payton Pritchard has extended his hot streak to four games. In those outings, he’s averaging 19 points, 8 assists and 3.8 rebounds on 51.6% shooting from 3-point range and 52.7% from the field. Sooner or later, he’s going to regress to the mean. There’s no doubt that Pritchard is capable of producing high-level impact on a game-to-game basis, but his shooting will undoubtedly level out.
We should be hoping that his current stretch raises his floor and sets a new bar for what we consider a decent performance from him. As the first guard off the bench, Pritchard will significantly impact the flow of games once Joe Mazzulla gets into his rotations and combinations. The more consistent these performance levels can be, the better it will be for the Celtics.
What I liked most about his offense from this game is that four of his eight makes came on the interior.
His passing was courtesy of his willingness to penetrate off the dribble, draw defenders’ attention, and kick the rock back to an open shooter. His first dime, which came via a nice screening sequence, is a great example of the confidence Pritchard is playing with when attacking off the dribble.
#2 Don’t forget that Brown is a three-level scorer
With how often Jaylen Brown pressures the rim and attacks downhill, it’s easy to overlook his value as a genuine three-level scorer. Against the Detroit Pistons, he flashed his shooting upside from every floor level. He nailed three mid-range jumpers, hit two mid-range shots, and got his usual steady diet within the restricted area.
Everything Brown does lately looks so effortless. More importantly, there’s a newfound patience in Brown’s approach, as seen in the following clip.
Watch how Brown continues to size up James Wiseman until he gets him to commit to the ball. As soon Wiseman plants his foot and gives up his hip, Brown explodes toward the paint, testing his man’s hip flexibility and direction change. Evan Fournier does a good job of pressuring the dribble with his dig. However, Brown is playing with too much poise, so he simply enters his gather step and gets the finish via a floater.
Stephen A. Smith recently labeled Brown as “the best second option” in the NBA; with patient and cerebral performances like the one against Detroit, I don’t think anyone is going to be arguing with that take.
#3 Porzingis, the keeper
Against the Milwaukee Bucks, Porzingis had a beautiful possession: He faked the DHO, turned the corner, and secured the dunk himself.
Against the Pistons, the Celtics threatened a similar action, this time allowing Brown to curl over the DHO and receive the pocket pass inside the paint.
These actions are known as “keep” or “keeper,” as the ball-handler keeps the ball despite offering it in a DHO.
I’m pointing these two plays out because Porzingis has shown the patience and processing speed to recognize where gaps are forming within a defense. Not only is he cooking teams as a pick-and-pop threat or dominating when getting mismatches around the nail or on the elbow, but he’s also showcasing that he can be somewhat of a shot creator for others.
The fact that we’re still seeing growth from multiple members of the roster, despite being 12 games away from the playoffs, is both fun and exciting. I like Porzingis operating in these actions. His shooting ability provides another dimension for the defense to deal with, and his height allows him to read the floor.
#4 Corner curls should be a staple
Do you know what the “keep” action and the above clip have in common? They both begin with Jaylen Brown curling out of the corner. In the “keep” clip, he’s curling toward a DHO. In the clip above, he’s curling toward the elbow. Both times, the ball finds him in an advantageous position.
This season, Brown has been the primary recipient in these corner curls. However, the Celtics have multiple players they could run in these sets — I would really like to see what Jayson Tatum could do in these actions.
Regardless of who the recipient is and what the Celtics are looking for after the wide pin-down is set, these actions have a place within Mazzulla’s playbook during the postseason, especially when Porzingis or Al Horford are the ones setting the pin-down, due to the threat of them popping out to the wing for a catch-and-shoot trey.
#5 So much good coming out of the Horns
The Celtics have a ton of variations in their Horns series. In fact, that would be a good article to explore—remind me during the offseason!
Against the Pistons, Mazzulla’s team continued to stick with what was working. In the below clip, we can see the Celtics go to a “horns flare.” If you watch it all the way through, you will notice it leads to the Pritchard assist I showed a little earlier. Also, note how Brown bullies his way into the mid-post to offer a high-low entry pass, which would be a valuable release valve if the Pistons had shut down Pritchard’s curl.
The next clip is a “Horns screen the screener.” I label this as “Horns STS Veer” due to Luke Kornet setting an off-ball screen followed by an on-ball screen.
The point I am trying to make here is that Boston’s horns series is diverse and robust. We’ve seen them generate consistently solid offense out of the alignment — including their often utilized “chin” action, which is a chin cut via a horns entry (for the most part.)
More horns = more buckets. I like that.
#6 Tillman’s first start
I’m trying to grade Xavier Tillman on a curve. He’s still learning the ins and outs of the Celtics system — on both sides of the floor. His versatility when guarding the perimeter was useful. He played up-to-touch on some screening actions, allowing him to switch onto the perimeter and provide additional pressure, although that’s going to take some more work.
Tillman did find some success operating as a close-out defender and was reliable on the interior. He held his man to 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 1-of-3 shooting from deep. On offense, he screened well, occupied his spaces, and kept the ball moving. However, it’s telling that he played the least minutes out of the top-six rotation.
Still, there’s enough time for Tillman to continue getting acclimated, and there will certainly be a role for him moving forward.
#7 Kornet is playmaking in his own way
I’ve mentioned this before, but Kornet’s growth as a DHO creator, mobile screener, and smart passer is seeing him command his spot within the rotation. His movement and passing allow him to reside on the perimeter within Boston’s five-out offense without sacrificing spacing. The horns veer play above is a good example of Kornet’s movement when playing off the ball.
In the above clip, you can see a good example of Kornet’s ability to create via DHOs, especially when he gets his body in between the receiver and the defender, so he’s creating space on the screen, too.
I’ve loved what we’ve seen from Kornet in recent weeks.
#8 Keeping their foot on the gas
The Celtics came into this game on a seven-game win streak, while the Pistons were missing a string of their primary rotation. Boston could easily have just mailed this one in, banked on winning due to talent, and played a half-bothered, scrappy brand of basketball. That’s not what this team is about, though.
Instead, the Celtics executed their system on both sides of the floor. They controlled the tempo of the game, and they secured their eighth straight win on the back of another blow-out win. You’ve got to praise that type of mentality and commitment. It’s one of those winning habits that we often hear about. It’s going to stand the team in good stead during the playoffs.
#9 Neemy minutes
Neemias Queta got a short but impactful cameo off the bench. He played just under three minutes but still found a way to get a couple of buckets, rebounds and assists. Oh, and don’t forget his steal, too.
Following the addition of Tillman, Neemy is in a tough spot. The minutes aren’t there for him. He won’t be eligible in the playoffs unless his contract gets converted. So, these cameos are his best chance of reminding everyone what he can do and potentially earning a bigger role in Boston or elsewhere next season.
Still, when Neemy is making an impact, it’s always fun to watch, regardless of the score or why he’s in the game.
#10 The rest protocol will likely continue
The Celtics will face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, the second night of a back-to-back. Boston has been pretty consistent with resting players over the past week or so. We know that Horford will likely enter the rotation, and Porzingis will likely sit out.
We could also see Tatum and Brown switch places on the injury report. However, Jrue Holiday’s position is a bigger question.
Whatever the Celtics decide to do, however many players they choose to rest, they’ve earned it. Their magic number to clinch the first seed in the Eastern Conference stands at two. They can afford to rest, guys, especially as their role players have continually been stepping up when provided a bigger opportunity.
