Celtics Sunday Notebook: The healthy Celtics, Marcus Smart, and the importance of shooting
CelticsBlog
Welcome back, everybody! Another Sunday, another notebook.
Boston went 3-1 this past wee, bouncing back after two ugly losses to the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers. Not only that, but they were (for the most part) absolutely dominant this week.
Celtics Sunday Notebook
They kicked things off with a 29-point win over the Washington Wizards. Jayson Tatum’s 51-point game was a huge part of that. Then they swiftly moved on to beat the Sacramento Kings by 53. Boston was up by 60 at one point in that game.
60.
Things took a tumble during a rough loss to the Atlanta Hawks where the team just couldn’t seem to make a shot, but they bounced back just one night later. A Saturday-night win over the New Orleans Pelicans capped off the week.
Let’s get into the notes.
The healthy Celtics are good
The key factor behind Boston’s success this past week was health. They got Marcus Smart back to start the week, and before that night, their regular starting lineup had only played 14 games together. They were 9-5 in those games, and now they are 12-6.
Many (including myself) have clamored for Al Horford to be taken out of the starting lineup, and that’s totally valid. Seeing Boston struggle to shoot the ball with Grant Williams and Josh Richardson on the bench is frustrating. But the five-man lineup of Smart, Jaylen Brown, Tatum, Horford, and Robert Williams has been dominant.
Among all five-man lineups that have played at least 150 minutes together this year, Boston’s starting group has the best defensive rating at 90.4. In addition, they also have the second-best net rating at 22.7. The Minnesota Timberwolves starting lineup is the only team above them.
Defense has been the key to Boston’s success this year, and that’s exactly what their regular starting lineup gives them. For those interested, a 12-6 record puts them on a nearly 55-win pace (.666). That winning percentage would put them at first in the East.
Marcus Smart is great
Smart has been the recipient of a ton of hate in recent weeks. As the trade deadline inches closer, a lot of Celtics fans want him gone. Although, recent trade rumors from Jeff Fischer revealed that it would take a big-time offer to pry him away from Boston. All that in mind, he’s been great since returning from health and safety protocols.
In Boston’s last four games, Smart has a combined plus/minus of +93. And for those complaining about him taking too many shots, he’s only taken 26 in the last four games - that’s roughly six a night. In fact, he’s tallied more assists than shot attempts in that time span (27).
His impact has been felt all over the court, and it’s translating into winning. Smart is successfully taking on the role of Boston’s starting point guard, and he’s doing a great job.
Robert Williams shoutout
This will be a pretty short note, but Williams just needs a shoutout again. Over the last week, he’s averaged 10.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.0 blocks, all while shooting a ridiculous 68.0 percent from the field. Tatum even gave him a shoutout in his postgame press conference after dominating the Kings.
“Especially when Rob’s playing. I love when Rob’s playing. Obviously, if myself or JB is out, other guys gotta step up. But, I just love when Rob plays.”
He went on to talk about what he loves about Williams, too.
“Everything. You drive into traffic and you gotta kick out, you can just throw it to the sky and Rob will catch it. You can pressure the ball a little bit more because you know if you get beat, you know he’s back there to protect you. He’s just a lot more vocal now than in previous years. He’s always active.”
Williams has reportedly been getting trade interest around the league, but the Celtics aren’t interested. They see him as part of their core three alongside Tatum and Brown. And rightfully so.
Shooting determines success
As great as Boston’s defense has been this year, they live and die by their three-point shot. When they are making their threes, they are winning, and when they aren’t, they are losing. It’s as simple as that.
When the Celtics shoot above 34 percent from three they are 21-9. When they shoot below that mark, they are 5-14. As they say, it’s a make-or-miss league.
While a similar stat to this is probably true for various teams around the league, Boston’s streaky shooting makes it extremely frustrating. Just look at the past week. Tatum and Brown got extremely hot against the Kings and Wizards, and had a decent shooting night against the Pelicans. But the one night they went cold in Atlanta, the Celtics got killed.
So maybe it’s less that shooting in general determines Boston’s success, and more that Tatum and Brown’s shooting determines their success. The better those two play, the better Boston plays. And while that may seem obvious, the C’s should be good enough to grind out wins when their stars struggle. That hasn’t really been the case this year.
With a team this inconsistent, that’s definitely not ideal.
Jayson Tatum is an All-Star?
All-Star starters were announced this week, and Tatum finished fourth in the Eastern Conference frontcourt voting. However, since Kevin Durant will not be participating, that means Tatum will (probably) get his starting spot. So congrats, Tatum!
Trade deadline check-in
The report from Jake Fischer was the main news surrounding trades this week. It noted that it would take a large offer to take Smart away from the Celtics. However, both Dennis Schroder and Aaron Nesmith are widely considered to be available in trades.
In addition, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype revealed that Williams is receiving interest around the league, but Boston isn’t interested in trading him, as they see him as a part of their core.
Scotto also noted that the C’s were, at one point, interested in bringing back Daniel Theis via trade. However, now that they’ve traded Juancho Hernangomez, they are less likely to make that deal in favor of staying under the cap.
Will the Celtics bank on these recent winning ways and look to buy at the deadline? Or will they still sell and begin plotting for the offseason? Only time will tell.
Look ahead and wrap-up
The Celtics play three games next week. Here’s a look at their upcoming schedule:
Monday, Jan. 31 vs. Miami Heat - 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 2 vs. Charlotte Hornets - 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 4 @ Detroit Pistons - 7:00 p.m.
The Heat are the best team in the East right now, and Boston will have a chance at revenge against the Hornets.
Boston’s play as of late gives some hope for the rest of the season, and they still have some time to make up ground. However, that time is slowly running out. If they want to climb the standings, they need to do it now.
Congrats to Tatum on the (likely) All-Star nod. Let’s see if the C’s can keep up these winning ways. Right now, it just feels like the clock is slowly ticking down until February 10.
11 more days.
