New York — after a record night celtics crime, Jason Tatum When Sam Hauser We went back and forth on the most important issue, Hauser’s 3-point celebration.
Hauser said he wasn’t too interested in them most of the time, but seemed to break character once on Saturday night. I beat Tatum in reaction. Following a quick post-match lift, Tatum asked Hauser to repeat what he said after the shot.
“I said, ‘Boom, Motherf–r,'” Hauser replied.
He may need to find a new catchphrase. Tatum suggested it doesn’t fit Hauser’s personality. I was. KnicksAnd the line might even make sense as the Celtics’ motto. The Celtics continued to shoot ferociously this season with his team-record 27 3-pointers. All nine of his Boston players who appeared in the game were Tatum, Hauser, Jaylen Brown, a total of 17 make. Early in this young season, the Celtics used their plethora of shooters to push their opponents’ defenses to their breaking point.
“You think that’s our team’s problem, right?” Joe Mazzura said. “Thanks to our spacing, we get a really good look most of the time.”
At its best, that’s how the Celtics play. They top his NBA with his 16 3-pointers per game, after breaking his previous record of 25 3-pointers in performances from long distance.Last season, they became known for their big physical defense, and on Saturday night Mavericks League-leading attack efficiency. With the recent emergence of Hauser as another knockdown threat, the second unit is charging some strong runs. His sophomore pro, who played only 158 minutes in total as a rookie, has so far this season he has scored 17 of his 31 tries (54.8%), more than got a big role. Mazura briefly explained what Hauser has done to get more minutes in the last few games.
“Shoot three,” Mazura said.
The coach paused there for a moment before finally extending his reasoning.
“No, listen. He’s just playing the right way,” Mazura said. “He’s playing right, he knows how to play off other players, he can read defenses, he puts a lot of pressure on defenses. And he continues to work to improve his defense.”
The Celtics have long relied on Tatum and Brown to give the Nets a workout. Support around this two of him While his cast isn’t always filled with snipers, the team now boasts his second unit filled with outside threats. Recently, Mazura has been playing Tatum and his three benches with his shooters (Hauser, Hauser, Malcolm Brogdon When Grant WilliamsIn 46 minutes with these four players on the court, the Celtics offense pushed the team to 131.9 points per 100 possessions. Mazura rode in that quartet, Chicago On Friday night, it then came back late in the first quarter against New York. The Celtics, who were trailing 22-22 when those players first came together, followed by 4:31 and he went on a 19-7 run. Hauser said he made three of his five 3-pointers during the spurt.
“Sam’s lights out,” Jaylen Brown said. “You can’t leave him. We’re looking for him. If he hits a couple, we’re looking for him. Sam is always ready. He works hard and He’s been playing a great role for me in this league.”
The formula for these Tatum and bench groups is clear. So far they’ve only played together in a small sample size, but their scoring success should last at least some.Williams and Hauser are both knockdown his shooters. Tatum is one of the most balanced offensive players in the league. Brogdon had no trouble getting to the paint earlier this season, especially with all these threats around him. Up until this stage in the season, the mix has helped produce some of the Celtics’ best stretches.
“Because there are two main ballhandlers in that group, surrounded by Sam and Grant,” Tatum said. I’m not saying they can’t dribble, but I think it just increases their speed.They just move the ball around, get off screens and find the right space.”
How efficiently did the Celtics bench get the ball? Players in the team’s second unit shot from the field a total of 52.3% of the time, including 49% from 3-point range. Grant Williams sits just behind Hauser with his 53.8% and his 3-point shooting percentage puts him third in the NBA. Brogdon hit a respectable 37.9% of him from deep while giving the Celtics a consistent driving threat.When he’s on the court, his offense often goes right through him, leaving him with more utilization than he did last season in Indiana, which comes as a surprise because the Celtics have so much more talent than that. is Pacers The team did so, but Mazura had the ball in Brogdon’s hands from the start. He benefits from the shooters around him and vice versa.
So far, no other Celtics player has shot like Hauser. A regular he’s only nine games into the season yet, but his early return suggests he made a big impact on Boston’s offense. The Celtics blew up the defense during his game as he scored 127.9 points per 100 possessions. Hauser and Boston’s best off-the-dribble his creator found obvious synergy.
“He spreads the floor,” said Marcus Smart“It’s hard to have a knockdown shooter over there. Trying to help someone like him, trying to help Jason, trying to help Jalen and those guys and Malcolm and I coming down the lane.” It makes it a lot easier for us, and we have a guy who knows that if they stop us, you’re going to knock it down. ”
Their offense has been sharp so far, but the Celtics must be dreaming of how dangerous they will be once Robert Williams Return value. He said he has been “stepping up” his workouts after returning to work on the court a few weeks ago. Williams said he dunked again, felt great and didn’t experience any setbacks.
“They just try to stop me from being a little too explosive. Take your time,” Williams said. “But pick and roll, running the court, really a lot.”
In one sign of just how far Williams has come, Williams isn’t staying in Boston, he’s joining the Celtics on a road trip. Other Celtics players, in their own way, showed him how much they missed his presence in the locker room. , said Williams needed to take the conversation elsewhere. Smart also gave Williams a hard time when Williams said his Celtics teammates needed him.
“Nobody needs you, Rob,” Smart called out.
The Celtics were a joke. They know how much they need Williams. He transfers their energy to both ends of the court. Their defense wasn’t nearly the same without him, but their offense boomed despite his absence.
“Our players have become accustomed to the fact that when they play good offense, have enough space and read defense, they look good,” Mazura said. “Some of it will be difficult when you’re shooting that volume, but for the most part I think our guys are doing a great job of shooting the right stuff.”
(Photo: Brian Fluharty/USA Today)
