Celtics
Retooling the roster is ok, however the massive enchancment has to return in the way in which the Celtics play, and they’re overdue for a lesson in ball motion.
A lot of the dialogue about Marcus Good’s departure issues subjects apart from his offense, understandably.
His toughness (it doesn’t matter what), defensive prowess (when wholesome), and management (excepting occasional overstepped bounds) are extra satisfying dialogue factors for these of us nonetheless staggered by the three-way commerce that despatched the quintessential (for higher and worse) current Celtic to Memphis than speaking about, oh, his shot choice.
However this have to be acknowledged: Good was the Celtics’ finest passer. That’s considerably faint reward and possibly an indictment of a few of his teammates — I feel Malcolm Brogdon’s final drive-and-kick the place he really kicked was in early January — however I feel it’s being neglected how difficult that could be to interchange, at the very least by these on the present roster.
That’s particularly regarding if the Celtics strategy offense the identical uninspiring manner they did this season beneath first-year coach Joe Mazzulla, which mainly amounted to “shoot 3-pointers, and in the event that they don’t go in, shoot some extra 3-pointers, as a result of math and stuff, and no, I’m not taking a timeout, so cease asking.”
Jayson Tatum can go, and deserves credit score for working to enhance that facet of his sport, however he’s the All-NBA alpha, the one who must be taking probably the most photographs just about each night time. Jaylen Brown isn’t a very prepared or adept passer. Kristaps Porzingis? He’s gifted offensive participant, and highlights of him making nifty no-look passes aren’t laborious to search out on YouTube.
However Porzingis didn’t like enjoying with Luka Doncic in Dallas, which makes me marvel how he’s going to mesh with a ball-stopper of lesser accomplishment, like Brown. And as expert as he’s at passing, Porzingis doesn’t do it notably usually the place it ends in a teammate’s bucket. He averaged simply 2.7 assists per sport final season with the Wizards, or 1.2 extra per sport than Blake Griffin averaged in 13.9 minutes an evening for the Celtics.
Good, after all, had his personal array of points when the Celtics had the ball. His shot choice within the Warmth collection was contagiously unhealthy, and let’s simply say that was not out of character. He by no means appeared to understand, or care, that he was getting open photographs as a result of the opponent was intentionally engaging him to take them.
(Apart: I’m wondering if the now-former teammates unhappy to see Good go understand that he’d in all probability nonetheless be right here had they proven as much as play earlier than Recreation 4 in opposition to the Warmth. Harsh? Yup. True? Certainly.)
When Good was used as a real level guard, as an initiator, he took it critically and performed the function with satisfaction, and the offense was normally higher for it. Ime Udoka understood this, and whereas Good didn’t at all times keep on the right course, the Celtics’ earlier coach had the gravitas to rein him in. I’m undecided Mazzulla may or wished to.
I do know this: Utilizing Good as a bystander whereas Tatum and Brown take turns enjoying ISO ball on the prime of the important thing whereas the shot clock winds down was detrimental deployment of your expertise.
The suspicion right here is that president of basketball operations Brad Stevens isn’t performed with roster alterations. There nearly must be one other guard coming in, and say, does anybody know if Derrick White might need a long-lost twin brother? The Celtics may use one other of him.
Ought to the roster stay comparatively static by the point the brand new season rolls round, there are nonetheless methods to enhance it. There may be room for progress for a number of gamers already right here, together with the 2 finest.
Tatum doesn’t get a lot credit score for doing this, however he at all times appears to return every season with an improve in a single a part of his sport or one other, and mastering a go-to transfer within the mid-range sport must be on the prime of his priorities.
Brown, a spectacular scorer when he’s locked in, additionally comes again higher yearly. His nightmarish eight turnovers within the ultimate sport of the season ought to stand as his solely mandatory reminder of what he wants to enhance this offseason.
And is it an excessive amount of to ask for Robert Williams so as to add a dependable 12-foot jumper?
However the obvious enchancment can are available how the Celtics play. Mazzulla’s favored let-it-fly offense is ok, I assume, however there must be an alternate plan on the nights when the bricks are piling up.
In his wee-hours-of-the-morning press convention after Thursday night time’s draft, Stevens indicated that the Celtics purpose to have extra offensive flexibility within the season forward, saying, “We didn’t submit up a ton this 12 months, however to have the ability to throw the ball within the submit [to Porzingis] and simply shoot over a change and do it so effectively and successfully is a giant deal.”
A post-up, you say? For a straightforward two? Now that may be a change in philosophy and execution. Hey, we’re not asking these guys to maneuver the ball just like the ‘86 Celtics. However when the Celtics commerce their finest passer, and he was form of a gunner, you understand they’re manner overdue for a lesson in sharing, and possibly just a little inspiration too.
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