The Studs:

Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum was one of the few relatively encouraging things coming out of the awful game. Coming off one of the worst performances of his career against the Knicks, he bounced back with a pretty alright performance, scoring 18 points on an efficient 8/14 from the floor. He was hitting the shots he normally hits, the type of shots he couldn’t buy against the Knicks. All in all, it was good to see Tatum getting back to who he is. 

Al Horford

Al Horford made his return to the Celtics, and despite the loss, it was a pretty good individual performance. What he did on the floor was indicative of what he used to do for the Celtics 2 years ago. He scored 11 points on 5/12 from the floor, grabbed 11 rebounds to secure a double double, and recorded 4 blocks. If this is the type of performance we can expect out of Al this season, that raises the team’s ceiling moving forward.

Josh Richardson

Josh Richardson made his Celtics debut after missing the season opener due to a migraine. He was the first person off the bench, and made an immediate impact hitting his three pointers and playing solid defense. He led the bench in scoring with 12 points on 4/7 shooting (4/4 from three). As the second unit tries to figure it out, his production will be important moving forward.

The Duds:

Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown followed his historic performance against the Knicks with a terrible one in the home opener. Only scoring 9 points on 3/13 shooting. He didn’t find any rhythm, and even his open shots weren’t falling, just like Tatum’s last game. He was 0/7 from three, it was ugly. Most importantly, he had 0 assists. If this team wants to improve their ball movement, it starts from the top. You can’t be the second best player and not have any assists, that’s a recipe for disaster. I’m not worried about Jaylen, it was just disappointing.

Marcus Smart

Marcus Smart has yet to have a good performance this year. His game against the Knicks wasn’t horrible, and he made the big shot to send the game to overtime, but prior to that was nothing special. This game, he scored 0, yes 0, points going 0/6 from the floor, 4 of those missing from three. I don’t need to explain why that’s unacceptable from a starting point guard. The Celtics have put a lot of trust into Marcus, giving him the starting point guard role, I hope it pays off soon.

Payton Pritchard and Dennis Schroder

Payton Pritchard seems to be having a hard time sharing the court with Dennis Schroder. Pritchard is the type of player that needs to have the ball to be effective, and at this point in time, I’m not sure if having them share the court is the best use of either of their minutes. Both players have been underperforming relative to their expectations, and that’s what is landing them both in this section of Duds.

The Studs:

Jaylen Brown

I mean, I don’t even feel like I have to explain this, but I will anyway because I like writing about my favorite player. What a game by Jaylen Brown. 46 points, the most scored by a Celtic during the season opener, and the most Jaylen has scored in his career. He arrived at this total by 16 of his 30 shots from the floor, and more impressively 8/14 from three. In a game that the Celtics lost by 4, Jaylen was a +16 for the night. Additionally, he grabbed 9 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists. Coming right out of quarantine, and having not played basketball in 10 days, this was an unreal performance from Jaylen Brown. He was undoubtedly the best player on the court. 

Continue reading Studs and Duds: Celtics vs. Knicks 10/20 →

The Celtics finished their preseason with a record of 2-2, all but one game (a loss to Miami), ending as a one possession. Even though it was only preseason, these games were enough to get any fan’s heart racing, so for those of you who have survived, here’s three main takeaways from the Celtics preseason.

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With opening night only 6 days away, Ime Udoka has yet to finalize his starting lineup to begin the season. He has stated that he wishes to keep the starting lineup the same every game, and not shift things around based on matchups, as his predecessor Brad Stevens did, so his decision will play a significant role on how the season goes. There’s still one more preseason game for potential starting candidates to make their case, so perhaps the coaching staff is waiting until after to make any final decisions. Before I get into the three potential starting lineups I could see the Celtics going with, I believe 3 spots are already locked up for Smart, Tatum, and Brown. Tatum and Brown do not need any explanation, and for Smart, he’s simply the best option we have for the point guard position. Excellent defense, chemistry with the Jays, a leader on the court. Smart seems to be the obvious choice for the 1.

Continue reading Three Potential Starting Lineups →

Early last season, Aaron Nesmith looked like he was shaping up to be a disappointing pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Initially, expectations were running high. Coming out of Vanderbilt with a three point percentage of 52%, Nesmith was generally accepted as the best shooter coming out of the draft. However, the shots weren’t falling once he got a taste of NBA action.

Continue reading Aaron Nesmith’s Growth →