Before getting into the film, let’s have a look at the offensive numbers for both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown throughout these first two games against the New York Knicks. Jayson Tatum is scoring only 18 points per game with an excruciating 0.78 points per shot attempt (league average is around 1.13). His playmaking for teammates remained reliable, with more than 5 assists per game. But the volume is also down, with only a 28% usage rate — far from the 33% he posted against the Knicks this season.
Jaylen Brown also has concerning numbers, with 21 points per game on a 0.89 point-per-shot efficiency. The problem also comes from his inability to create much for the rest of the team, with more turnovers than assists. The shots aren’t going in, but both Jaylen and Jayson are also unable to drive and force the defense to collapse.
In the regular season, the Celtics had one of the best drive efficiencies in the league, with 1.23 points per drive attempt. Against the Knicks, this number is down to 1.02. Led by their duo of wings, the Celtics aren’t capable of punishing the mismatches. A great example of both of them struggling is in the play below, where Brown cannot attack Jalen Brunson with enough space, so he swings it back to Tatum, who only has 5 seconds to find a solution against OG Anunoby.
What makes it very complicated for the two stars is that the Knicks are willing to leave the other Celtics players open for a second as long as they force them to take a contested shot or give away the ball. On this post-up for Tatum, Anunoby comes from the weak side, and that’s another complicated shot generated.
Even when the Celtics try to attack a mismatch like they used to, the spacing isn’t optimal and forces Tatum to take yet another contested shot above Precious Achiuwa. Look at where the Knicks players are positioned and how much JT doesn’t have any choice but to take a pull-up. He is not a driver like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Luka Dončić, who can force their way to the rim. If the Celtics’ spacing isn’t optimal, access to the rim is limited.
Brown faced the exact same problem when he was able to get a mismatch. Here he wants to attack Karl-Anthony Towns — and look where the Knicks players are standing. Three of them have a foot in the paint, so Brown can only drive one way. The Knicks’ center stays connected, and that’s another miss from a drive.
The coaching staff hasn’t been able to replicate the usual Celtics spacing against the Knicks. The court mapping isn’t managed as well as it used to be in the regular season, and the New York wings’ length is forcing the Celtics to play one-on-one, like they did against the Orlando Magic.
The problem with this Celtics spacing issue has bigger impacts than it might seem. Because of it, the Celtics — especially Jaylen and Jayson — don’t have the space they need to operate. First, it creates inefficient shooting attempts, but it also creates an even bigger issue: turnovers. Over the last two games, Tatum and Brown have lost the ball 16 times. And while some of the turnovers are due to the lack of spacing, it’s also because the two stars have to be better.
In this first drive from Brown, the process and the execution are wrong. He forces his way into the paint while Tatum has a mismatch on the other side. He doesn’t see Jrue Holiday signaling him to swing the ball. He keeps insisting and gets caught by Anunoby, while Holiday was open for three.
The Knicks have tricked the Jays into thinking mismatch hunting would work. They changed their defensive approach and are more willing to switch and give the Celtics the mismatch they want. They invite the Celtics to take these tough shots and dare them to make them. In the series against the Orlando Magic, Jayson and Jaylen were able to deliver. Against the Knicks, they aren’t.
The Knicks are smartly building a trap around the Celtics’ mismatch hunting and, like in the final seconds of the last game, the trap successfully closed on them. Tatum — who scored on the previous possession with a similar play call — got a switch onto Mitchell Robinson. But, as we’ve seen, neither the process nor the execution is going well. The spacing is atrocious, and Tatum decides to drive into a zone where Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart are waiting for him.
Another poorly executed and weirdly designed offensive possession — which could have been avoided, as the Celtics had a timeout remaining.
Everything has to be better offensively from the two stars, but they were a problem on the other side of the court, too. In the next article, we will look into the defensive problems both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had throughout these first two games.
