Ahead of a historic year: 10 lessons from the Celtics and Spurs
The Boston Celtics used a double-big lineup when Jrue Holiday was sidelined with an elbow sprain. Jayson Tatum dropped to the 3 and Jaylen Brown moved to the 2. It was wise to start some extra bulk in the starting lineup against the Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs.
When attempting to contain adaptable big players like Wembanyama, Horford and Porzingis can both guard the perimeter and defend screening actions in various coverages. The most important query is: if Holiday had been available, would Joe Mazzulla still have gone double-big?
#2 Whoa, Wemby
At this point, we’ve all seen Wembanyama perform. Most of us have most likely watched some highlight reels or at least a few of his games. Seeing him perform against a squad we watch several times a week, though, helps put his distinctiveness into perspective. There were times when it seemed like the Celtics were trying to figure out how to stop him.
How do you protect times such as these, really?
Wembanyama and the Celtics might engage in some intense skirmishes as he gains strength, becomes more acclimated to the NBA, and the game picks up speed. When the rookie for the Spurs started to make an impression, you could see how Tatum and Brown improved their performances. He made them feel their best.
#3 Tatum needs to start stepping it up.
That moment has come. Tatum has improved his game throughout the months of January and February for the most part of his career. It appears that Wembanyama might have ignited something within him as well. Tatum finished with a total of 25 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists. More significantly, he missed five out of ten deep shots.
Tatum has been struggling with his perimeter jump shot over the past few weeks. However, those struggles were firmly put behind him on Sunday night. Still, there will be sterner tests ahead. There will also be a bigger need for his playmaking ability, too. Nevertheless, this was a good performance from Tatum, especially when he was operating as an off-ball threat and firing away off the catch, attacking the post, or driving the lane to attack gaps. Still, I think my favorite possession was a wide pick-and-pop between Tatum and Payton Prtichard that ended with a no-dribble mid-range pull-up.
Oh, and here’s a great clip of Tatum being a screener and making an impact. Big fan of Tatum in these plays, and I like how much space he created by tying up the defender.
A difficult evening for Kristaps Porzingis. He made seven three-pointers, according to the box score. We can rule out the one that ended with a full-court heavy play at the end of the first half. He therefore made six perimeter jumpers. Four struck the front rim, one the rear rim, and one was an air ball.
Typically, a reliable shooter’s tendency to strike the front rim indicates fatigue. Their shoots aren’t lifting them as much, which indicates that their legs aren’t producing enough force. They then attempt to alter their trajectory by exerting greater upper body force, which results in a back-rim miss.
It is impossible for us to know if Porzingis experienced sore legs or a persistent ache in his quads or calves. Or, as we all know, it was not his night, and that’s okay too. Even so, he struck the glass and held down two blocks while shielding the rim. Oh, and he did a pretty good job of protecting Wembanyama for the most part.
It’s inevitable that Porzingis will have better shooting nights. We cannot, however, overlook the fact that his offensive presence above the break forced Wembanyama out of the paint and created space for the Celtics to find easy scoring opportunities.
The way in which Brown bends into the paint before drawing a foul in this small two-man play with Porzingis demonstrates how the Unicorn’s presence made sure Wembanyama’s rim protection wasn’t a reliable factor that evening.
#5 Going nerdy for Derrick White: Horns actions
I enjoy Horns’ behavior. They are easy to understand. They work well. Additionally, you can play around with a ton of variations. Halfway through the first quarter, Boston switched to some horns settings, leaving Derrick White with options to attack the defense and Porzingis and Luke Kornet as screeners.
As is well known, White tends to use screens on the right. In light of this, the Celtics ran a few horn sets, culminating in a pick and roll between White and Kornet.
