#1 Horford can nonetheless be a menace
Al Horford had himself an evening in opposition to the Chicago Bulls. He ended the sport with 23 factors and eight rebounds. But, it was his work from the perimeter that was most spectacular. He shot 5-of-10 from deep, with 4 of these makes coming from the correct nook.
Horford was additionally his regular self by way of screening, creation and protection. He did, nevertheless, look extra aggressive on the offensive finish and frequently discovered himself in house.
Having Horford within the weakside nook offers the Celtics with a dependable launch valve. We all know he can knock down his nook three’s at a excessive clip, and we all know that he’s able to driving baseline to assault closeouts. Moreover, by having Horford within the nook, the Celtics are permitting extra inverted actions on the perimeter, that are designed to persistently create mismatches for the ball-handler or move receiver.
I’ll go away you with the above clip of Horford getting Nikola Vucevic to chunk on the faux earlier than he attacked the rim off the dribble.
#2 Luke Kornet battled on the boards
Classic. That’s the one method to describe the efficiency we obtained from Luke Kornet on Saturday. He was a monster on the glass, securing 5 offensive rebounds and 13 total. He appears to thrive when working because the beginning middle as a part of a double-big lineup, and as soon as once more proved why he’s probably the greatest third-string facilities within the league.
It looks like Kornet has begun to embrace his dimension when on the ground. He’s enjoying with extra pressure, and he’s being far more aggressive when pressuring the glass — on either side of the ground.
Whenever you add his rebounding to his ever-improving perimeter play as a creation hub, it’s comforting to know he’s the Celtics back-up massive man. Towards Chicago, Kornet flashed upside as a screener, DHO creator, and as a short-roll passer.
Kornet is enjoying with a number of confidence. He’s shifting with goal and executing on either side of the ground. Video games like this one additionally show that he’s able to remaining aggressive when dealing with among the stronger facilities within the Jap Convention, which can be an encouraging signal.
#3 What an evening from Hauser
Sam Hauser is playoff-ready. There’s no different manner of placing it. He scored 23 factors in opposition to the Bulls on 8-of-9 capturing. He’s been an elite launch valve and decoy all season, which is one thing Joe Mazzulla famous throughout his post-game press convention.
“The blokes have achieved a greater job of understanding the best way to use him as a weapon,” Mazzulla stated. “Whether or not it’s to get him open or use him as a decoy for 2-on-1’s. He has an innate capacity to stability the ground with spacing and likewise create indecisions. So, we don’t actually run a ton of performs for him, however the guys have actually discovered the best way to use him as a weapon offensively.”
All through the season, we’ve seen Hauser discover success in Floppy motion. We’ve additionally seen the Celtics use Hauser’s capturing gravity as a decoy in Spain PnR’s. Nevertheless, for essentially the most half, Hauser is at his greatest when catching and letting it fly, both as a stationary shooter or as a motion shooter curling over screens.
Hauser has confirmed himself to be a viable defender inside the rotation in addition to probably the greatest motion capturing roles gamers within the league. He’s undoubtedly going to have an impactful position to play as soon as the playoffs start. Nights like this, in opposition to a gritty staff just like the Bulls, is an efficient instance of why he’s so essential to the staff.
#4 Pritchard’s sturdy run continues
I’m monitoring these numbers at this level. In his final 5 video games, Payton Pritchard is averaging 18.2 factors, 8 assists and three.6 rebounds. He’s capturing 48.6% from 3-point vary and 50% from the sphere.
I’ve stated and written loads about Pritchard’s present stretch of video games. So, I’ll maintain this one brief and say that there’s an opportunity he begins to maneuver towards making these high-scoring nights off the bench a constant a part of his contribution to the staff. In fact, his position is barely bigger for the time being as a result of squad rotation and Jrue Vacation’s absence with a shoulder damage.
However, Pritchard is proving he generally is a main a part of the offensive sport plan and is working exhausting to earn these further alternatives.
#5 Tatum’s offense
The Bulls did job of urgent Jayson Tatum and making his life troublesome on the perimeter. They ran him off the road or consumed his airspace. So, he countered by attacking the rim and understanding of the submit.
That is what separates Tatum from the chasing pack. No matter you try to take away will solely open a special facet of his skillset. On Saturday, they took away his perimeter sport within the PnR and as a display screen receiver, which allowed him to work as a slasher and bully-driver.
With out Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis within the rotation, the Celtics have been lacking their greatest rim risk and their greatest flooring spacer. Tatum nonetheless discovered methods to create offense for himself whereas additionally attending to his spots.
We don’t typically get to witness Tatum making every little thing occur whereas additionally being the first level of consideration for the protection (as a result of different weapons the Celtics normally have on the ground). So, to see him slot again into that position and nonetheless produce a commanding efficiency was enjoyable.
#6 A superb displaying from Brissett
I’ve been important of Osahe Brissett in latest weeks. Not due to his effort, or what he offers on the defensive finish, however due to his restricted capacity when ending his probabilities on offense.
Nicely, in opposition to the Bulls, Brissett was dependable on either side of the ground. He nailed all three of his pictures and was a ache on the offensive glass, securing three second-chance alternatives for his staff.
Performances like these make me ponder whether he can carve out an “vitality shifter” position throughout the postseason.
Brissett performed effectively. He performed his position, offered vitality, and proved that he could possibly be a constant thorn within the facet of an opposing protection.
#7 Chicago mucked issues up
The Bulls’ sport plan was clear — take the sport into the trenches, pressure errors and assault on the break. It’s no shock, then, that they completed with 15 deflections as a staff. They performed the passing lanes effectively and seemed to create as many disjointed possessions as attainable.
That method labored throughout the opening minutes of the sport. Nevertheless, the Celtics rapidly figured it out and commenced to face toe-to-toe with the disruptive nature of Billy Donovan’s staff. In earlier years, a sport like this, with a lot physicality, may have knocked the Celtics off their rhythm. This 12 months’s roster is totally different, although.
When the sport obtained bodily, so did the Celtics.
#8 Tatum because the screener
Tatum has been spending increasingly more time working as a screener this season. His elite passing and scoring skills make him the perfect roll-man. The above clip is a strong instance of why.
We see Tatum set the display screen for Derrick White, who then drags his dribble towards the wing. Tatum spins off his man, receives the move across the nail, attracts the assistance protection after which fires a one-handed bullet move to the nook.
As a three-level scorer with numerous strikes in his pocket, Tatum is a critical risk as a curler. His dimension and mobility are a mismatch nightmare. The extra of those actions we see, the higher.
#9 D-White hasn’t been himself
It’s not that Derrick White isn’t enjoying effectively as a result of he’s. Nevertheless, he hasn’t been working on the stage we’ve change into accustomed to. With Vacation sidelined, I used to be anticipating to see a surge in manufacturing from the veteran guard. That hasn’t been the case, although.
As a substitute, White has caught to his position as a connector who fills the gaps on any night time. His capturing has been trending downward, and his aggression in forcing defensive rotations has been restricted over the previous few video games.
White was being mentioned as a possible All-Star candidate earlier within the season. One predominant purpose was his aggression on offense when driving the lane and forcing actions. He may simply be conserving himself for the playoffs. Nonetheless, on an evening like this, with a number of gamers out of the rotation, it will have made sense for White to step up and take management of the sport as a playmaker.
Once more, I don’t suppose he’s been unhealthy, I simply don’t suppose he’s been enjoying on the stage we’re used to.
#10 9 straight wins
The Celtics face the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. Their win streak will lengthen to 10 video games in the event that they win that sport. In reality, it’s an arbitrary quantity. The primary seed within the Jap Convention is all however wrapped up, and the Celtics are nonetheless favorites to finish the season with the very best report within the NBA.
However, something that may present momentum is an efficient factor. One other 10-game win streak would definitely contribute to the feel-good issue surrounding the staff proper now. In fact, if the Celtics fall brief, it’s not the tip of the world. Every part is about gathering knowledge at this level, and that may occur no matter whether or not they win or lose. Nonetheless, it will be enjoyable to see one other win streak proceed.
Catch everybody on Tuesday!