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With the Celtics whole again (sans Nikola Vucevic as he recovers from a broken finger) and heading to the playoffs, they’ve got thirteen games to solidify their postseason rotation, further define their roles, and really hone in what they’re doing when the games start to matter.
As sparkling and unexpected as their 46 wins are in what many considered a gap year, there’s much to be desired in their 13-16 record in clutch games. Their defense has more or less held up at 111.5 points per 100 possessions, but their second-ranked offense craters to 113 points. It’s not too shabby compared to the rest of the league (9th), but considering that Joe Mazzulla has opted to win the possession game and limit chances, it puts a ton of pressure on the Celtics to take advantage when they’re on the offensive side of the ball.
Despite coming off the bench since Jayson Tatum’s return, Payton Pritchard remains one of the league’s premiere isolation scorers in the NBA. He ranks in the 94th percentile in large part because of his 62.1 eFG% — that’s better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, and his teammate Jaylen Brown. With his array of dribble drive moves, body control in the mid-range, and effectiveness from behind the arc, he’s one of Boston’s best option with the clock running down.
With Pritchard’s move to bench, he’ll have more responsibilities to shoulder the scoring for the second unit. In the starting five, Sam Hauser might be the biggest beneficiary of Tatum’s return. Don’t get it twisted though; that comes with expectations, too.
As of today, an early season could spell threatens Hauser’s career steak of shooting over 40% from behind the arc. He’s at 38.6% right now. But I’m sure none of that really matters to Mazzulla. Even with starting cameos by Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh, it’s Hauser with his shooting gravity and stroke paired with above average defense who will spend most of his playing time flanking the Jays.
And how well have the Jays been playing? Well, there’s no doubt that Jaylen Brown is a legit MVP candidate at this point. Not only is he averaging career highs across the board, over the last two weeks, he’s starting to gain respect from the league. After being ejected in San Antonio and voicing criticism against foul-baiting stars after a loss in Oklahoma City, the bruising Brown has gone to the free throw line 49 times in the last four games, including hitting 19-of-21 in a physical game against Phoenix. That ability will be a big asset in April, May, and June.
Finally, there’s Tatum. The efficiency isn’t there yet (30.5% from 3, just three FTAs a game), but you can see that he’s getting his legs back and more importantly, gaining confidence attacking the rim more. He turned in his best game yet against the Warriors on Thursday with 24 points and 10 rebounds, hitting stepback threes (5 for 11) and challenging former teammate Kristaps Porzingis at the cup. He may not be in 1a form right now, but everything over the last two weeks tells you that that’s coming.