Player improvements to watch for – Staff Roundtable

The Celtics sit atop the standings on the All Star Break. So what do they should do between now and the playoffs? I requested the employees to try particular person gamers and supply ideas on tweaks that they may make to their video games.

Ben Dupont

I do know it’s all anybody talks about, however Tatum driving to the basket is the useless horse that wants beating. He simply doesn’t do it sufficient, and settling for unhealthy pull-up threes isn’t going to work each time. It’s a kind of issues that goes to get higher within the playoffs, nevertheless it’s irritating that we haven’t seen it extra within the common season. Tatum is so harmful when he’s getting downhill, and groups can just about make certain they’re protected from hurt for 3 quarters of the sport.

Mark Aboyoun

He might not get loads of minutes as soon as the playoffs come, however Queta not biting on each shot pretend. For younger facilities (we witnessed it with Rob Williams his first two years) they attempt to block all the things. Typically simply staying nonetheless together with your palms up can alter a shot simply as a lot as getting a block. If we’d like Queta within the playoffs, it in all probability means somebody is damage which isn’t preferrred both.

Trevor Hass

Jaylen Brown’s 3-point share is hovering round 34 %. It’s a small distinction, however getting it as much as round 37 or 38 would pay dividends. Kristaps Porzingis is averaging round 13 pictures per recreation. It’s extra on the Celtics than it’s on him, however that quantity must be round 15 or 16, even when Tatum and Brown take one or two fewer. If Oshae Brissett desires to log playoff minutes, he has to work on his shot and turn out to be a extra constant choice offensively.

Tim Sheils

Oshae Brissett must hit his open pictures, or extra importantly, his three level pictures. Proper now, he’s a sub 30% shooter from deep, and one of many greatest wants on the deadline was so as to add one other robust wing to the rotation. After including Jaden Springer and Xavier Tillman, there’s nonetheless very a lot a necessity on the wing, however that will get mitigated if any person in-house steps up. Enter Oshae, a man able to including power, protection and athleticism. The most important drawback is his three ball, but when he can get that up a bit, it’ll alleviate a number of the Celtics rotational issues. With different studs on the lineup beside him like Brown and Tatum, Oshae will get loads of open seems to be, and that may be one of many methods Boston can punish double groups. I’m actually rooting for Brissett to determine his three ball earlier than the playoffs, as a result of I feel his power and protection might come up large someplace down the road.

Sam LaFrance

My kneejerk response right here is to complain about Jayson Tatum taking pictures too many threes. He averages 8.5 makes an attempt per recreation, which is certainly decrease than I assumed. The truth is, that’s a wonderful quantity. Nonetheless, I’d nonetheless wish to see SOME change right here.

Don’t cease taking pictures them, even the powerful ones that I despise.

What I wish to see is a greater capability to learn the room on these pictures. Tatum is a unbelievable participant, in all probability one of the best Celtic since Larry Fowl. However, there are occasions throughout video games when he takes these pictures, early within the clock, and when the Cs are on the fallacious aspect of the momentum. Certain, it’s a big gamble, and if it finds the underside of the web then the day is saved. When it doesn’t it’s a straightforward defensive cease for the opposing crew and that cease got here a time the place Boston was dying for a bucket.

To Tatum’s credit score, there have been instances all through the season, when the Cs wanted a spark and he introduced them again from the useless by getting downhill and going to the rim.

TLDR: I don’t need fast Jayson Tatum threes to be Boston’s reply for opposing runs.

Bonus: Kristaps Porzingis must get place nearer to the basket. He’s nails from — properly, the nail — however I don’t want him posting up above the half circle. (edited)

Mike Dynon

Jayson Tatum has been a power on each ends of the court docket. His pictures are down barely from final 12 months so his scoring is just too, however he nonetheless leads the crew in factors and rebounds per recreation and is just about tied for crew lead in assists per recreation. When he assaults the rim and forces the protection to rotate or change, he willingly strikes the ball and the half-court offense hums. Nonetheless, he nonetheless tends to decelerate the tempo towards the tip of every recreation, isolating and dribbling in place behind the arc. The ball stops shifting and, to my eyes, the offense turns into stagnant. I’d wish to see him preserve the tempo going for all 48 minutes, then let’s see how a lot that helps keep away from letting leads slip away.

Adam Taylor

This isn’t for a particular participant — sorry, I do know i’m sort of dishonest right here. However, I need to see extra off-ball motion from everybody on the roster. As others have mentioned right here, Jayson Tatum must assault the basket extra. Actually, I feel the quantity of inside scoring expertise on this roster isn’t being utilized to it’s full potential.

Off-ball chopping opens up scoring throughout all three ranges. Mixing in additional participant motion, particularly in half-court units, that doesn’t contain simply relocating, might take this offense to the moon. So, all people wants to enhance that space of their recreation. For me, it’s an necessary side — particularly when it comes to defensive manipulation.

Jack Simone

Extra Derrick White ball-handling. Perhaps that is much less of a tweak to his recreation and extra of an adjustment to Boston’s gameplan, however when White has the ball in his palms, good issues occur. He’s gone from an elite 3-and-D participant to a well-rounded level guard on top-of-the-line groups within the league. His floater is clean, he can draw contact on the rim with one of the best of them, and his passing talents are arguably one of the best on the crew. Clearly, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are going to have the ball loads, however White must be dealing with a lot of the level guard duties.