We’re again once more. It’s been an odd week of Celtics basketball; irritating losses, Jaylen Brown’s scoring, Jaylen Brown’s hair, issues of this nature. When you’re sitting within the barbershop chair with a can of spray paint hovering over your fragile hairline, or in the event you’re on a flight to Turkey, you may as nicely sit down and watch some clips with me.
Now, let’s get into the movie.
The Most Harmful (Two-Man) Sport
This looks like I’m going full Mazzulla, however Jaylen Brown has been going full Normal Zaroff this season. Everyone seems to be honest searching sport. However as a substitute of searching wayward sailors, he’s searching the likes of Keyonte George and different defensively challenged guards. He and Derrick White have been a formidable searching duo on the perimeter, utilizing guard-guard screening to throw off the protection. It’s most helpful when making an attempt to power advantageous switches.
It’s a easy motion, however one which calls for consideration and focus. Too gentle a swap can put Jaylen on a smaller defender, the place he can get within the mid-post and create good photographs. It might additionally put Derrick on a slower wing that he may drive on. Each are wonderful pull-up shooters from inside and past the arc. No marvel Boston has been utilizing it closely in late-game eventualities, as you possibly can see within the Philadelphia and Utah video games.
Utilizing guards or wings as screeners within the offense is nothing new. Hell, utilizing these two as screeners for each other isn’t new both. However with out Jayson Tatum, these two are Boston’s greatest creators. Within the clutch, typically one of the best reply is the only one.
Transition, by definition, is the method of fixing from one state to a different. Transition protection is the method of quickly going from offense to protection. On the size of each transition in historical past, this season’s protection falls someplace between HBO turning into HBO MAX (then MAX then HBO MAX once more) and Snoop Dogg altering his identify to Snoop Lion.
In three seasons underneath Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics have completed second, first, and first in transition PPP (factors per possession, not the best way Tom Brady paid his workers). This season, in accordance with Cleansing the Glass, they’ve dropped to thirteenth. Their final week has been riddled with poor transition possessions.
There are two distinct classes of transition protection: off stay rebounds and off steals. Concerningly, Boston has taken a step again in stay rebound transition protection. Final season’s staff was second in stay rebounds that become transition and second in PPP allowed off rebounds. This 12 months, they’re sixteenth in rebounds turning into transition and twelfth in PPP. It’s a notable slide for a staff that prioritizes open flooring athleticism.
If the stay rebound protection is a large number, the transition protection off steals is a frat home kitchen. 78.7% of steals compelled by opponents have become a transition likelihood, which is the worst mark within the league. They’re permitting 1.5 PPP off steals, twenty third within the NBA, after ending 2nd final 12 months by permitting 1.27 PPP.
They’re on tempo for his or her worst protection off of steals because the 2012/13 season. When you’re within the temper for naming some guys, that was the final season of the Doc Rivers-Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce period. Jeff Inexperienced, now the NBA’s resident uncle, was on that staff as a promising 26-year-old ahead. You by no means need to end up in any worst since ___” conversations, and this Celtics staff must up the communication and energy within the open flooring.
However there may be one factor which may be contributing to this difficulty.
A lot has been fabricated from Boston’s defensive rebounding woes, and rightfully so: as of Thursday night time, they’re second to final in defensive rebounding proportion, behind solely the disastrous Brooklyn Nets. However they’ve tried to counter this by ramping up their very own offensive rebounding actions. Plenty of this comes from their bigs; Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman, and Luka Garza are all within the higher quartile of OREB% amongst large males. Garza specifically has proven some spectacular effort.
The attention-grabbing change has come from the wings. By and huge, it’s the explanation why Boston’s 30.0% offensive rebounding price is the very best it’s been in the course of the Mazzulla period. Joe has let the canines off the leash in terms of the offensive glass. Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh, Hugo González, and Josh Minott are all crashing the glass with reckless abandon.
Hauser, Walsh, and Minott are all posting career-high offensive rebounding charges. Naturally, the rookie González is setting his excessive. But it surely’s Minott specifically who stands out, not just for his manufacturing however the explosive method he finishes his putbacks.
Minott has the very best offensive rebounding price on the staff after the three bigs. Mazzulla encourages him to crash onerous from the corners and thru the slot, and let his athleticism do the work. With a motor that will make Enzo Ferrari weep, he’s making an affect on the staff. Boston’s offensive rebounding goes up by 9.7% with Minott on the ground, which is one of the best mark on the staff. Effort is contagious.
Extra perimeter gamers crashing the glass has definitely contributed to their poor transition D. However the math-ball Celtics might have determined that the additional possessions are value buying and selling for some transition prevention. Time will inform if the numbers bear this out.
That’s all for the second version of my Celtics movie round-up. We’ll test in subsequent week to see what’s shaking with the C’s.
