#1 Hauser’s 30-piece
There’s nowhere else we should be starting today’s takeaways. Getting 16th career star, Sam Hauser proved he has mastered the Incendio spell. He was a flamethrower, both as a movement shooter and when spotting up. Here is my favorite bucket from Hauser’s big night.
A little strong-side ‘twirl’ action between Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser confuses the defense before the sharpshooter uses the Luke Kornet screen to pop out to the perimeter and hit the shot straight off the catch.
I also liked the above bucket. A simple movement three via a DHO in transition.
Hauser is among the best sharpshooters in the NBA. I don’t think that’s an outlandish statement — and if it was coming into the game, it certainly shouldn’t be now. Unfortunately, his chance of setting the franchise record for most made threes in a game came to an abrupt halt. Hauser fell awkwardly next to the Wizards bench after making his 10th bucket, suffering an ankle sprain as a result.
I was also a fan of Hauser chipping in on the glass, ending the night with six rebounds while showing his upside as a role-playing defender.
#2 Tatum is still a scoring machine
This is how the Boston Celtics opened the game.
From the very first possession, they looked to feature Jayson Tatum within the offense. I particularly liked the play design: A “horns cross” allowing Tatum to work out of the “pinch post.” We didn’t get a bucket from this opening possession, we did, however, get to see Tatum at the foul line within the first 30 seconds of the game.
After that, the tone was set. Tatum cooked from the perimeter.
He also did some work on the interior, with this secondary cut and side-step layup being my favorite.
Of course, we got our usual two-way production, too. Tatum had 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Yet, It was his work in the passing lanes that really impressed me. Even when facing a depleted Wizards roster, Tatum wanted to control the game and force run-outs. He had four deflections and three steals.
With Jaylen Brown out due to injury, it was logical that Tatum would step into a bigger role on offense rather than stick to his all-around performances that we’ve seen this season. Still, he balanced the two roles well and had a solid all-around game.
#3 Pritchin’ in
Any concerns we’ve had about Payton Pritchard as the primary backup guard should now be in the past. He’s been solid all season. Against the Wizards, in a slightly bigger role due to Derrick White’s absence, we saw an outstanding performance.
Pritchard is great at controlling the tempo of a game. He can push the rock in transition. Is adept at “Nashing” the ball when the defense rotates over to protect the rim, and has improved his passing off the dribble since entering the NBA. It’s only fitting, then, that he ended with a career-high 13 assists to go along with his 14 points and 5 rebounds in a solid double-double performance.
The Wizards tried to go at Pritchard on the defensive end, putting him into 13 different shooting situations — he held his man ot 46.2% from the field and 1-of-5 from 3-point range.
Xavier Tillman deserves credit for the defensive possession shown above. However, Pritchard’s screen navigation has been a big improvement this season. He can avoid contact and add pressure in the rearview when chasing ball-handlers in pick-and-roll situations. His ability to change speeds on a dime makes him a solid perimeter chase defender and allows pressure to be applied on both sides of the ball.
In terms of creating off the dribble, the above clip shows what I’m talking about. Pritchard isn’t shy to drag out his dribble and create passing lanes. These little one-handed shovel passes are becoming a legitimate weapon for him as a shot-creator in the half-court.
Long story short, this was a great night for Pritchard, even if he was facing one of the most lackluster defenses in the entire NBA.
#4 Jaden Springer
Despite the Celtics being dominant from start to finish, we still only saw Jaden Springer for a limited period of time. However, he’s a new face on the roster, and I want to at least look at what he’s shown whenever he gets a run on the court.
This was the best example of what Springer brings to the floor. He switches onto the baseline cutter with pace and intent. He then makes himself big, stays active with his hands, and impacts the shot attempt, forcing the miss.
Springer appears to move well. He’s quick, he hustles, and he understands his positioning. There’s no doubt that he’s a project player for a team as deep as the Celtics, but you can see how he could carve out a role for himself heading into next season.
#5 More Tillman
Tillman did ok in his minutes. His positioning was good. His physicality was needed against Eugene Omoruyi, who was certainly looking to make his presence felt on the floor — just look at the shove on Horford earlier in the game if you need an example.
When he’s in the game, Tillman allows the ball to move around. His screening and positioning ensure the spacing is solid and that ball-handlers will always have angles being created for them. On defense, Tillman gave the Celtics a switchable presence that held his own on the perimeter while also affecting shots around the rim.
I also like how quickly he can move his feet to keep the ball handler and the roll man in front of him. That allows him to shade the ball while also boxing out on the rolling big when the shot goes up.
#6 Jordan Poole found success
The Wizards were short-handed coming into the game against Boston. As such, it made sense that they would heavily feature Jordan Poole on the offensive end. He’s struggled this season, especially when playing in the starting lineup. Nevertheless, he found some rhythm against the Celtics.
Still, I doubt he would have been that effective if Boston’s rotation was at full strength. There are too many defensive weapons on the Celtics roster, and Poole would have struggled to find gaps when trying to get his shot off.
However, Poole was effective. He ended the game with 31 points on 63.2% shooting from the field. Interestingly, most of his offense came from within two-point range. I wouldn’t say this is cause for concern, due to how many players were missing from the Celtics rotation, but it was worth pointing out.
#7 We saw some Svi
I liked what we saw from Svi Mykhailiuk. We haven’t seen a lot of him this season — such has been Boston’s strength in depth. However, he flashed some upside as a passer and hit almost half of his shots. I was impressed with his work on the glass, too.
Given where Boston is in the Eastern Conference standings and the games they have left remaining, I would expect to see more of Svi in the coming weeks. However, once the playoffs get underway, I don’t think he’s going to feature unless something goes drastically wrong or the Celtics have blown a team out and Mazzulla has emptied the bench.
Still, I will always enjoy seeing one-dribble pull-ups from shooting specialists, and there could undoubtedly be a role for Svi if a series calls for additional spacing off the bench. I’m not holding my breath, though.
#8 Should we have expected more from Jrue Holiday?
With Brown, White, and Porzingis all missing from the rotation, I expected Holiday to be featured more on the offensive end. That could have been as a scorer, playmaker, or anything in between. Yet, he continued to be deployed in his “jack-of-all-trades” role. I’m fine with that.
However, I think this stretch run is a good time to gather data. Holiday has proven himself capable of being a secondary and tertiary offensive option. This game would have been the ideal time to see how that could look for the Celtics. I get that Hauser’s explosion from the perimeter likely limited Holiday’s chances of being a featured scorer, but I do hope we get a couple of chances to see how that could look between now and the end of the season.
#9 Oshae Brissett gets the start
Oshae Brissett got his first start of the season against the Wizards. He’s been a solid energy player off the bench all season. He played his role well and displayed the defensive disruption that’s made him such a fun role player during his debut season with the Celtics.
I’ve said this before, but I was pretty low on Brissett coming into the season, primarily due to his crossover with Lamar Stevens. However, I’ve really enjoyed what he’s added to the team and was happy to see him get rewarded with a start on Sunday.
The scoring still isn’t there, and the rebounding can sometimes look a little questionable, but what he lacks in polish, he makes up for in hustle and effort. He fits right in with the Celtics and is the type of player fans love to root for.
#10 End of season hoops
At this time of year, when a team has a significant lead at the top of the standings, the games often feel like a formality. I would expect we will see a lot of “injuries” between now and the end of the season. There’s not much more to learn in terms of execution or scheme. Instead, it’s about gathering data and testing out some combinations — especially with rotation guys.
Still, we’ve got to give credit to the Celtics for sticking to their gameplan and securing another win when it would have been easy to mail it in for a night and live with the result. That’s what makes this team so special; even on a random Sunday, with three starters missing, they’re still coming out to hoop and get a win. That’s what makes me so confident in their ability to be a serious threat once the playoffs begin.
Looking ahead
The Celtics are back in action tonight. They face the Detroit Pistons. Al Horford will undoubtedly miss the game, as it’s the second night of a back-to-back. Beyond that, we will need to wait for the injury report to see what else is going to change heading into the game.
Hopefully, it’s a little more competitive than what we saw against the Wizards, as that makes writing these takeaways a little easier.
