Unfortunately For The Rest Of The NBA, The Defending Champs Are Showing To Be Even Better Than Last Year

Adam Hagy. Getty Images.

The last time the Celts found themselves in ATL, we watched them blow 30 point leads that ultimately led to Joe Mazzulla tearing his meniscus while training because he was so pissed off at himself for allowing that to happen.

This time the Celts once again found themselves in ATL, and we watched them build a 30 point lead and actually not blow it. I have to admit, I much prefer this route compared to last year. The team that set the NBA record in 30 point wins last season finally snagged their first one of the year, and this time it came with 40% of their starting lineup in street clothes. Call me crazy, but I consider that pretty impressive. 

Heading into the game, I called it a classic "look ahead" game, seeing as how it was the final game of a four-game road trip and the big-time showdown with GS on the horizon tomorrow night. You see teams in that type of spot fumble the game all the time. They're looking ahead to being home, playing a better team, and aren't quite locked into the task at hand.

So for the Celts to put up their largest margin of victory on the season with close to 50 points of offense on the bench matters. I don't care if the Hawks might stink and own one of the worst defenses in the NBA this season. This isn't about them, this is about the Champs. This is about not skipping steps and taking care of the games you should be taking care of. 

It seems impossible, but the Celts are technically off to a better start to the 2024-25 season than their historic 2023-24 season. At this point last year, the Celts were 6-2 with the 3rd ranked offense (118.5) and a +13.6 net rating.

This year? The Celts are 7-1 with the 1st ranked offense (121.8) and a +14.1 net rating. 

The crazy part of course is the fact that we aren't even seeing this team at full strength or even really at full effort yet. Their defense (ranked 4th) still has room to improve. Said another way, the Celts are currently dominating the league while coasting to some degree. That has to be so deflating for everyone else, and unfortunately for them, I do not give a shit. We warned you in June, the league was entering the reign of the Tatum/Brown Celtics. This is what that looks like.

The Good

- Speaking of Jayson Tatum, do you know of the 8 games the team has played Tatum has only played the 4th quarter in 5 of them? As we've discussed we're experiencing the best season of Tatum's career to date, and as someone who couldn't wait to see what things looked like now that he had the pressure to win a title off his back, I'm not sure I expected things to look like this

What Tatum showed you is exactly why there is nothing wrong with his shot profile. In fact, I would argue it's exactly how he should approach things offensively for the rest of his career. Yes, there are going to be 3PA that he misses. There are going to be heat checks. There are going to be hot streaks and cold streaks. Welcome to planet earth. We now have well over a 100 game sample (plus a fucking title) that tells us the Celts and Tatum have cracked the code for how they need to play. 

For Tatum, last night was a perfect mix of an outside and inside approach, and we saw how connected the two are. Early in the game Tatum put pressure on the defense with his outside shooting. C&S 3PA, pull ups in transition, side steps, they were all cash. Then, once the defense crept up, we saw him immediately go to the paint or the post and attack/finish at the rim. That pick-your-poison choice for opposing defenses is why Tatum is such an impossible cover. 

He talked about it in this postgame interview and frankly it's shocking there are some who still don't quite get it. If you give him space, he's going to bury you from deep. If you force him into the paint, he's either going to finish or kick the ball out to a 40% shooter who will bury you from deep. If Tatum takes away the threat of his outside shot for a much lower percentage shot (midrange), then the Celtics become easier to guard. 

Perhaps, and I know this may sound crazy, but perhaps instead of complaining about his shot profile (which is fine), take a minute and appreciate what we are watching considering we haven't seen a Celtic do this shit since Larry fucking Bird

It was good to see White finish 8-16 (4-9) in his 29 minutes, mostly because he had sneaky been in a bit of a shooting rut to start the month of November. Just two games, but still. He didn't exactly light things up in CHA with 33/30% splits in those two games, and with Jaylen out it becomes even more important that White not only produce offensively, but he gets back to the efficient shooter we know and love. 

To the surprise of no one, guess who is back to leading the NBA in +/-?

A winning player like you goddamn read about. I'm getting a little tired of people saying he's really good for a role player, or the best role player in the NBA. Wake up idiots, Derrick White is a star. I could argue he's the perfect basketball player. Like if you were to start from scratch and craft your ideal player, the end result is Derrick White. There is nothing he can't do on a basketball court, he plays hard as shit every second he's on the floor, he's an incredible teammate and an even better person, his basketball IQ is off the charts, and he comes up huge in the playoffs, the list goes on and on. 

Just like with Tatum, I loved how White mixed it up in terms of taking (and making) his 3s and then also putting pressure on the rim with his floater. That shot continues to improve as the years go on, and you can always tell if White has the feel that night if his early floaters are pure. When those are dropping, it's time to make sure he get his looks from deep.

- I think anyone who has watched the start of this season could tell that things didn't really feel the same defensively. The point of attack defense was piss poor, the Celts were giving up magnet ball games from deep, they were lacking in transition defense, it was certainly not to the standard we expect, and as a result, they were around the middle of the pack early (12th).

Today? They currently own the 4th best defense in the NBA. They held the Hawks to under 24 points in 3 of the 4 quarters last night, and for the first time this season held an opponent to under 100. You want to talk about limiting easy transition buckets, the Celts won the fastbreak battle 35-4 in this game. 35-4!

How did they do that? Well for starters they didn't miss every layup they took which allowed their opponent to get out in transition. That's key. Shoutout Jrue & Co for being WAY better at the rim in this game. They also didn't really turn it over (12), which meant the Hawks had to beat them in the halfcourt. Good luck with that! Usually, when the Celts have poor defensive nights it's because they fuck around in transition, but if they limit those opportunities it's no surprise the defense suddenly looks a whole lot better.

- There's a reason Payton Pritchard is the current odds on favorite to win the 6MOY, and it's because of shit like this

A little 18 points off the bench on 7-12 shooting, we are currently witnessing the best version of Payton Pritchard to date. It's like his contract extension unlocked something last year, and then this year we're seeing what the Power Of Larry is doing to his game. When guys are out you know Pro Am Pritchard is going to be able to pick up the slack, and the confidence he's playing with right now oozes out of your television. Getting starter level production from your 6th/7th man isn't really fair, but again this isn't about being fair. This is about winning another banner.

Is it crazy to suggest that Payton Pritchard has the greenest green light on the team? I know that sounds silly considering Tatum and Brown exist, but watching these games that's really how it feels. For good reason Pritchard is allowed to take whatever shot he wants from whatever distance he wants. To think of how far he's come from DNP-CDs to what we are currently watching is insane, and I look forward to pushing his 6MOY agenda. We won it for Brogdon, we can win it for Pritchard.

- Well, it would appear as if Brad Stevens has done it once again. This time, via Neemias Queta. To be honest, I've seen enough

This is Rob-Lite. Not only has Queta seized his opportunity early in this season, he's also made someone like Xavier Tillman pretty much a non-factor which isn't exactly something most of us saw coming with KP out. I'd go so far as to say on nights where Kornet doesn't have it (like last night), Queta should be the primary big off the bench. His athleticism is no joke, his rim protection is something no other big really provides, and as he continues to get more experience I fully expect him to improve defensively. There are still times he finds himself out of position and he'll for sure make mistakes until the game slows down for him, but his impact is undeniable when he's on the floor.

Players like Queta are what this team is going to have to find around the margins given how expensive their roster is going to become. Impact players on minimum deals are the most important thing Brad can find, and so far Queta is looking like he's ready to be that guy. 

- I'm trying my hardest to be rational about Jordan Walsh, but it's getting harder and harder with each opportunity. Let's be honest, the shot is still nowhere close. Guy can't really buy a bucket right now but that's perfectly fine. His role is to play hard, play defense, and simply get experience. While it would be nice if he can knock down an open 3, that will come. For now, plays like this matter to me

One thing that has really stood out about Walsh defensively is how disciplined he is. Very rarely do we see him bite on shot fakes, instead staying home and using his length to contest a tough jumper. For most 20 year olds with essentially zero NBA experience, I feel like they take that bait all the time. To me this says going up against wings like Tatum/Brown in practice is doing wonders for his development, because he looks pretty damn comfortable on the defensive end and we're still in the infancy of his development.

Ultimately, the shot is going to have to come around. But the way to minutes for young players is to play hard and defend at a high level, both of which Jordan Walsh is doing. 

- It's no surprise that the Celts had the most Mazzulla Ball half of all time in the first half (34 3PA on 39 FGA) and they found themselves up 75-53 at the break. They only finished with 55 3PA and frankly, there isn't a number that is too high for me. As long as they are generated the right way through ball movement and unselfish play, take a 100 for all I care.

The math is the math. Celts won the 3pt battle 18-6 last night, and when that happens they simply are not going to lose. The crazy part is even with the 55 3PA, they also tied the Hawks in points in the paint at 36. 

We've reached the point where all opponents can do is just pray the Celts have a subpar shooting night, because if they don't, it's a 30 point win. Last night was a perfect example of that. 

- I have thoroughly enjoyed Jrue Holiday's start to the season. Outside of a few CTE moments early and some layup issues early, he's been fantastic

Nothing flashy, just as solid as solid can be. Makes his open 3s, defends at a high level, has a knack for hitting huge momentum shot after huge momentum shot, and the best part of course was his minutes were low at just 23. 

- Same thing with Horford. He looked 27 again back in his old stomping grounds, and while his play on the court was magnificent, what I really care about is the Celts only needed him for 22 minutes. Having these games with no KP and only needing Horford to slightly break a sweat is such a blessing and should only help in the long run. Last year was about getting Al his ring, this year is about keeping his minutes as low as possible so he can help deliver another one.

The Bad

- While it thankfully tightended up, but the Celts perimeter defense to begin this game was pretty bad. They were allowing the Hawks to get to the rim with ease, gave up another 30 point quarter on 50% shooting, and it allowed them to stay attached at a time when the Celts shot 56/41% with 7 3PM. When the Celts do something like that in a quarter, they should be up 15, not 5.

Over half of their 30 points game in the paint (16), and way too often did we see the Hawks be quicker to the ball on offensive rebounds. It nitpicking of course, but those are the types of starts that can get you in trouble if you're playing a team with an actual pulse.

- Brutal Kornet game, which is going to happen from time to time. That's why the development of Queta is so important. At the end of the day, Kornet is a serviceable 3rd center. There are going to be nights where he's awesome, and nights where he's virtually unplayable. Last night was an unplayable game. Poor position defensively, didn't really do much on the other end, and credit Joe for not being stubborn and making an adjustment with Queta.

- Baylor Scheierman really does suffer from Lackofbucketsitis. I thought it was bad with Oshae Brissett, but Baylor needs the g-League season to start so he can get some reps and see the ball actually go in. Billed as a magnet ball shooter, I don't think we've seen him hit a jumper since like the first game of Summer League.

- I wouldn't exactly call Tatum's second half (1-8, 0-4) "good", but he also didn't play the 4th quarter. He did have 5 assists in that 3rd with 0 TOs which was nice, but the jumper that was automatic in the first 24 didn't exactly make it out of the locker room after the break.

The Ugly

- I feel like this team needs to take some time at practice to figure out how the hell to throw Queta lobs. It's been a while since Rob was here so I understand why that pass might be a little rusty, but there were at least 4-5 lobs that were absolute dogshit that robbed Queta of easy buckets. It didn't matter who it was, nobody could seem to throw Queta an easy lob. It's something that shouldn't be hard in theory, but in practice, it was a bit of a disaster. He's Rob-Lite, so you can't throw it as high as you would with Rob, but there's no reason the Celts should be leaving 8-10 points on the board because of failed lobs. Just take 30 minutes at practice and figure it out.

Other than that, what else can we really complain about in a 30 point win? 

And now we turn the page to the biggest game of the early season. We've waited since the Olympics for this showdown with GS, and considering they're also off to a tremendous start this season, it should be a fantastic test. We've seen Celts teams in the past look unbeatable and then fall into their bad habits against the Warriors. We've also seen them kick the shit out of GS. This is their chance to send another message, and lord knows the motivation is there.