Rebounds, Rhythm, and Reality Checks

The Boston Celtics fell to 0-3 on the season, following their loss to the Detroit Pistons

Another night, another loss…

The Celtics are now 0-3 to begin the season. Multiple areas of concern are emerging, including rebounding, playmaking and the overall offensive approach. Talk of a tanking season is already picking up steam, and the New Orleans Pelicans await Mazzulla’s roster tonight.

It’s far too early to start looking at the big picture, but clear narratives are starting to form. Let’s look at yesterday’s game and what that tells us about where the Celtics are trending…

Game 3: Celtics 113 — Pistons 119

📊 Key Stats

• Once again, rebounding is the plot of this loss. The Pistons secured 19 offensive boards last night, with two of them coming in the final minute of play.

  • Detroit generated 32 second-chance points, as they maximized their advantage of having bites of the offensive apple.

  • Inexplicably, the smallest player of the Celtics roster led the team in rebounds. Payton Pritchard had 10 boards to his name, with three of them coming on the offensive glass. For reference, that was more than Chris Boucher, Neemias Queta and Luka Garza combined.

    • Under no circumstances should Pritchard be outrebounding the entire big man rotation.

• On a night where the Celtics were struggling from deep (33.3%), they didn’t adjust to attack the rim. Only 14% of the Celtics’ shots came within four feet of the basket.

  • In fairness, they struggled to convert at the rack, hitting just 54.5% of their attempts.

• What’s interesting is that the Celtics shot the ball better than Detroit in almost every area. And that is why the discrepancy on the glass was such a killer.

  • The Pistons shot:

    • 66.7% at the rim

    • 37.5% from mid-range

    • 26.5% from three.

    • 46.8% eFG%

  • However, when you get multiple seconds and third chances to get your shot to drop, you can make up for a poor shooting night. And that is exactly what the Pistons did last night.

• Less than half of the shots the Celtics made came via an assist.

  • They ended the night with a 42.5% assist rate.

    • Mazzulla’s team is bottom of the NBA for assist rate over three games, with 44.8% of their shots coming off a dime.

  • The Celtics are also 25th in the league for total passes made and 17th for potential assists.

    • Put simply, the ball isn’t moving as it should. It’s stuck in the halfcourt. Pritchard, Anfernee Simons and Jaylen Brown are all culprits.

    • Against the Pistons, only 6.3% of the Celtics’ passes equated to an assist.

💫 Star of the Game

• Jaylen Brown. Hands down.

  • 41 points

  • 6 rebounds

  • 4 assists

  • 4 turnovers

  • 12-of-25 from the field

  • 5-of-9 from deep

• Considering Brown was questionable heading into the game, he looked unstoppable on the offensive end. He got past guys at will, glided to the rim, hit his mid-range jumpers and gave the Pistons’ defense problems all night.

  • He was clearly the best offensive player on the floor.

  • Unfortunately, the Celtics’ continued struggles from deep meant that Brown’s attempt to put the team on his shoulders ultimately fell short.

    • It sucks, but until water starts finding its level on the offensive end of the floor, Brown may need to sustain this type of production to keep the team in with a chance of snatching a win…And in truth, that’s not sustainable.

📈 Improved Performer

• Hugo Gonzalez got a much-deserved start, following his impressive performance against the New York Knicks.

  • He continues to look like a defensive spark plug. He finds ways to muck things up and drag his matchup into the trenches.

    • I was genuinely shocked that he only got 18 minutes of playing time. Because, while he wasn’t making an impact on offense, his disruption felt like a key cog in how the Celtics were keeping pace with the Pistons

📋 Playbook Observation

• I’ve really enjoyed how the Celtics have been using Neemias Queta’s rolls as a way to generate quality shooting opportunities on the perimeter.

  • The action below will show an elbow split cut between Derrick White and Josh Minott.

  • White gets the ball from Queta before he rolls to the rim. White drags his dribble out.

  • Queta’s roll pulls in Minott’s defender, leaving him wide open on the wing.

• 

  If you want a full breakdown of this action, let me know…It would be fun to do a voice-over and should play well on social media, too…

⚾ Curveball of the game

• A few years back, the Celtics developed a reputation for being an atrocious third-quarter team. It didn’t matter how big their lead was; you always felt that nothing was safe entering the third.

  • To begin this season, the second quarter appears to be the problem.

  • Let’s take a look at the Celtics’ second-quarter point differential from the first three games.

    • The Sixers outscored Boston 31-23 on opening night

    • The Knicks cooked the Celtics 14-42 on Friday

    • The Pistons went 25-36 in the second quarter last night

    • In total, the Celtics have been outscored by 47 points over three second quarters…

💬 My Take on the Game

It’s inevitable that talk of a tanking season is going to become rife, especially if the Celtics drop tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans to go 0-4. However, the team is playing too hard for this to be called tanking.

They’re trying to win.

The problem is, there isn’t enough talent in key areas. Clearly, the playmaking is becoming an issue, the lack of rebounding is a death knell, and the scoring is far more predictable than in recent years. Granted, we can point at each of these losses and say, “Well, if they made their shots,” and while that is an oversimplification, it’s true. BUT, Mazzulla can’t bank on shot variance the same way he has in recent years.

Teams will find ways to slow down this team. Right now, the Celtics are still searching for a system that fits — not too fast, not too rigid, but something that actually works.

Sometimes, the Celtics are going to be outplayed by a better team. Other times, they’re going to shoot themselves in the foot. And then, on nights like last night, they’re going to get outworked and outmuscled.

Detroit are a far better team than a few years ago. They’ve earned the right to be considered a playoff-ready team. Even on a night where their offense wasn’t clicking, they still had too much size, grit and athleticism for the Celtics. Fortunately, we can console ourselves by remembering that this team is still learning how to play with each other.

Of course, as the losses continue to pile up, the consolation will become an anchor, and tough decisions regarding the direction of this season will need to be made. For now, though, bring on New Orleans…Although I fear Zion Williams is going to feast on the glass tonight, it could get ugly.