Well, that came crashing down quickly. Everyone rushed to laud Boston’s elite offense after nuking the hapless Wizards and tearing apart the defense-averse Pacers, and now that they’ve played two really good defenses, their offense looks gummy again. The same way I didn’t overreact after the first week, I refuse to overreact to two losses to what looks to be two really good teams. I do, of course, have some scattered observations from this last group of games.

1. Starting off with something positive, Boston’s rebounding is totally back. One of my biggest problems with Rob Williams being relegated to the bench last year was that it ate away at the inherent strength of the roster: being big, fast, and smart defensively. Part of that was conceding nothing on the glass. Ironically enough, now that the roster has been overhauled to emphasize the offense more, the rebounding and size has come back with it. This is mostly because of Kristaps Porzingis, who is a skyscraper. His shooting from deep (emphasis on the ‘deep’ part) has gotten the headlines, but even in losses the Celtics have been great on the glass and when it looks right, smaller players are being punished on both sides of the ball when Porzngis and Al Horford play together. I understand that they got so much time together lately because Derrick White was away from the team, but I think in certain matchups and situations, that combination will prove invaluable.
2. On the flipside though, the roster definitely is at a playmaking deficit. I thought that it in part looked that way because of White’s absence, but the problem persisted against the 76ers. I think that some of this can be solved by making the hierarchy of the team more defined. I like the usage rates of Porzingis and Horford, but I feel that there needs to be more of a pecking order on the perimeter. Who is the first option on a typical Celtics possession? I’ve watched all seven games, and I can’t answer that question. Jayson Tatum is obviously their best player, but he is not the type of player to run pick and roll after pick and roll; he also didn’t touch the ball for what felt like ten straight possessions in the third quarter versus Philadelphia. It sometimes feels like the offense runs the best when White initiates, but there are clear limits to his game. And Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown love to bring the ball up and dial their own numbers. I would love to see more flow in their halfcourt sets.
3. That being said, I do feel like there is more flow than there was last year. The extra spacing helps, but I also see more clever plays than I ever remember seeing last season. These are the sorts of plays where I, with the benefit of the overhead view, am being fooled as to what the true intention is. That is a good sign. I don’t even hate the playcall at the end of the Sixers game. I think the players had more time than they realized to hunt for a good shot once the ball was inbounded, but they also got basically as good a shot at a three-pointer as you’re going to get in those late-game situations where the other team knows you’re hunting for a three.
4. One of the most interesting storylines to monitor throughout the season is Jaylen Brown’s involvement in the offense. In the games where his shot is falling, the decision is easy: feed the hot hand. But in other games, he feels much more like a supporting piece than a player with his pedigree and salary would dictate. It was clear that in the Sixers game there was at least one party focused on getting him going. Some early plays were ran for him, and even after he had been struggling, early in the third quarter three straight possessions were eaten up totally by him. The Celtics were 0-3 on those trips. The Celtics’ title hopes may well hinge on Brown’s incorporation, and I’m sure things are not hunky dory behind the scenes. We love to pretend that in the modern era, players all sacrifice for the betterment of the team and there are never any hard feelings about it, but as we’ve seen time and time again, they happen on every team. They just aren’t reported.
5. Tatum’s offense is still a work in progress. I dedicated all of last week’s check-in to this topic, so I won’t go into too much detail about it here. I just wish he would cut the step-back three out of his game completely for a couple weeks, just so here could learn to play without it. It has become a total crutch-shot for him, and it kind of sunk Boston’s offense in two straight games.

And now, time for the ambush play of the week, because this team has a habit of turning the hunters, into the prey. Also I’m retroactively giving last week’s to Derrick White’s chasedown block on Jimmy Butler.

This week, the award goes to Jaylen Brown. Five minutes into the first quarter against Minnesota, Brown came over to help on an Anthony Edwards drive, ripped him clean, and beat Jaden McDaniels down the court for a dunk. Bursts of defense-to-offense athleticism like this is what makes this team so formidable and fun to watch. And Ant is not an easy guy to strip.