#1 – Opening the season with a Spain PnR
Final season with the bench unit — particularly with Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet — the Celtics ran numerous Spain pick-and-rolls to generate rim makes an attempt and open threes. This season, Pritchard and Hauser are a part of the beginning 5, and the season began with this play.
With Neemias Queta as the primary screener, Hauser because the second, and Derrick White because the ball-handler, the Celtics used this play to assault Joël Embiid’s drop protection. As Hauser involves set a display screen on Embiid’s again, the Sixers middle can’t retreat to the rim, leaving Queta open.
This play was additionally used later with Simons because the ball-handler — a wise strategy to create chaos within the protection. The multiplicity of screens forces the protection to speak, which might result in errors. On the primary play, it created a taking pictures pocket for Simons.
The Celtics ran it just a few extra instances in that sport, and we’ll see extra of those all through the season. The execution of the screens and actions will probably be key to producing environment friendly offense round this play.
#2 – Jaylen Brown on Joël Embiid
Mister Joe Mazzulla loves inverted matchups, and he caught to it final evening. With out Jrue Vacation or Jayson Tatum, it was Jaylen Brown who took on the Joël Embiid project. Whereas JB did his greatest to maintain Embiid away, Queta may roam across the rim. Since Dominick Barlow is taken into account a non-shooter, the Portuguese large man may play the goalkeeper function within the paint.
This took away some simple makes an attempt, and with Embiid’s lack of mobility and burst, it was simple sufficient for Brown to push him away from the paint. The Sixers tried to make use of screens to drive higher matchups for Embiid, however the Celtics have been capable of defend their very own. Within the play under, JB is pressured to modify away from Embiid, so Queta leaves his participant to tag the Sixers middle whereas White rotates all the way down to take Queta’s earlier matchup.
This defensive project was sufficient to restrict Embiid (who appears to be struggling together with his physique). But, regardless of a neutralized Embiid, the Celtics’ protection collapsed on a number of events — particularly within the backcourt.
#3 – Defensive backcourt points
We knew it was coming, however the drop-off within the Celtics’ backcourt protection was apparent — particularly in opposition to such fast gamers as Tyrese Maxey and the rookie VJ Edgecombe. They mixed for 26 buckets and 9 assists, with 34 factors from the rookie in his first sport.
To not take something away from Edgecombe’s distinctive efficiency, however the Celtics’ protection (and a few taking pictures luck) undoubtedly helped him out.
Each guards have been faster and extra aggressive than the Celtics defenders, and so they exploited the shortage of ball strain. On high of that, the Celtics’ defensive construction appears weaker than final yr, not solely within the backcourt. Within the play under, White can’t include Maxey, Brown’s assistance is ineffective, and Queta is about on the unsuitable facet of the paint to have any influence on the rim.
The Celtics’ protection has been elite for the previous couple of years because of ball strain and rim safety, forcing opponents to take pictures they didn’t need. Final evening, the Sixers’ backcourt had an incredible offensive evening as a result of they may get to their spots simply. However whereas they have been having enjoyable on offense, the Celtics went again to their looking habits.
The Sixers’ guard has been a goal of the Celtics’ offense since he began his profession, and there was no cause for that to vary now. As quickly as the sport began, the Celtics went after him — and so they stored doing it, with a number of gamers.
This usually pressured the Sixers to break down in an effort to guard him, which created open appears for the Celtics.
Nonetheless, as Nik observed, the Celtics stopped (possibly on the worst time) going after him. That was a missed alternative, as attacking Maxey generates a double constructive impact: first, it’s usually good offense, and second, it forces him into foul hassle, which may take him out of the sport.
#5 – Lack of ball motion
If the Celtics’ mismatch offense was nonetheless there final evening, the ball motion wasn’t. Solely 16 assists for 41 discipline objectives made — that’s a 39% help charge, the worst of any group final evening, and much from the Celtics’ 2024–25 mark of 63%.
The poor help charge talked about above is a direct consequence of the Celtics’ incapacity to transform catch-and-shoots — nevertheless it’s not solely about taking pictures luck. Whereas among the Celtics’ shooters can have higher nights than yesterday, this low share additionally tells a narrative.
The Celtics don’t have the identical high quality of creators anymore; due to this fact, there will probably be fewer gaps to take advantage of in opposing defenses, and catch-and-shoots will probably be tougher to create. Additionally, the standard of their catch-and-shoot threats has decreased — the Celtics can’t count on Xavier Tillman, Chris Boucher, or Luka Garza to punish defenses like Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Jrue Vacation did.
The roster has modified. The strategy must evolve too.
Talking of the offensive strategy — there was numerous speak about pace and transition this summer season. So, the place did it go?
The ATO above is only one instance, however the Celtics performed on the similar tempo they’re used to. Plus, the transition emphasis that was introduced up loads through the offseason was lacking too. Solely 14 pressured turnovers, main to simply 14 factors generated from these defensive stops.
With this Celtics roster’s athleticism, there’s loads of room to play quicker and generate transition alternatives — however the offensive and defensive habits want to vary.
#8 – Queta rim-running alternatives
Talking of vital habits to develop: utilizing and discovering Queta as a rim-runner. The Portuguese large man has improved loads at creating house together with his screens and flashing to the rim.
This creates many alternatives for simple buckets on the rim… however his teammates should be taught to search for him. Within the play under, it’s an ideal instance of this behavior not being there but. After one other good display screen, Queta flashes to the rim, however Pritchard as an alternative takes a step-back pull-up triple.
#9 – White main the cost within the third
Within the third, the Celtics’ guard took over and confirmed the significance of pace and attacking earlier than the opponent’s defensive construction was set.
Typically from the best, White made fast selections to drive, assault on the pick-and-roll, or pull up when noticing the house the protection gave him.
Due to this aggressive strategy, White scored 13 factors in lower than 8 minutes, generated 7 free throws, and acquired nothing however open appears.
#10 – Couldn’t convert within the final seconds
The Celtics had two alternatives to take the sport within the final 10 seconds however weren’t capable of generate good pictures.
The execution of the primary play didn’t create any gaps within the protection, and the Sixers have been set when Pritchard acquired the ball. As quickly as he drove, Brown got here into the paint, which damage the spacing. In the meantime, the Sixers’ defenders collapsed to assist on Grimes, leaving Hauser, Simons, and White open — however Pritchard went for a contested layup.
The second try gave Pritchard extra space at first, however the spacing was as soon as once more poor. He didn’t have a transparent path to the rim, so he faked and tried to promote a foul — however that didn’t work, and the Celtics took their first lack of the season.
