Hopefully this comes off as more constructive than critical. The Celtics have played 3 games in the past few weeks against 3 of the top 4 teams record wise in the league, and came out 0-3. Each game was close, but we’ve seen some pretty brutal performances from our top 3 guys.

Derrick was ⁷⁄₁₉ against Denver, ¹¹⁄₂₆ against San Antonio, and ¹⁄₁₁ (!!) against Detroit.

Payton was solid against Denver and Detroit, but only gave us 4 against San Antonio.

And even though Jaylens totals look good, averaging 30.⁶⁄₈.⁶⁄₄.3 in those 3 games, his true shooting was at 50.71% and he averaged over 5 turnovers.

Even Simmons hasn’t been great.

I’m not that smart, but I don’t love Jaylen guarding Jamal or Cade in some of these games. We need him to be an offensive force, and it’s not as easy when you spend 30 minutes guarding the other teams best player.

Outside of that, or a trade, is there anything else we can do? Or is this just a matter of waiting for Tatum to get back?

MundaneExtension3195

21 | 19 hours ago

more passing. having a player go one on one is exhausting… Queta should get more touches, but just more passes takes the pressure off of JB

B_Sox | Len Bias

10 | 18 hours ago

Problem is JB is the only one that can consistently beat his man and get into the paint to draw the defense in. Without that the ball is just being hot potatoed around the perimeter without the defense moving.

With Queta, I’m just not sure he’s the type you dump it down to and he makes things happen. More of a rim runner that can generate 2nd chance points.

A 70% version of Tatum could at least run offense from the high post, which would be a huge help.

raycyca82

7 | 17 hours ago

Agreed. PP/DW have not been getting past defenders in these games. Simons feels like he can, but then for some reason likes to step back more frequently and let his defender back into the play. Feels like he could be far more aggressive moving north south towards the rim.
This could be a spacing issue (the corner shooter’s defender is constantly digging and letting the ball handlers defender get back into the play). They’ve worked a bit to help that (moving a shooter across the court while the screen happens), but they have to have good timing on those cuts.
I think long term Tatum can solve these issues, even if he’s just a gravity spot shooter. Short term I dont know how much they can do other than increase the complexity of their actions. They need to be on point in their timing/spacing, and reps are going to be the best teacher.
Considering the team went through a major overhaul this season (in comparison to a team like the Knicks, who are bringing in a returning roster even if they have a new coach), this isnt bad. Thry obviously still have work to do, and adding more bench guys to the rotation means each of these groups needs more reps. But obviously a far better start in comparison with a lot of other teams.

MundaneExtension3195

1 | 18 hours ago

with this years offense having more off ball screens, you are constantly moving the defense and ball and player movement breaks down a defense… if you are standing two shooters still, one in each corner, then you are correct… but we are doing a much more motion offense this year, but we need to keep that rock poppin

deaseb

1 | 13 hours ago

JT without burst might also struggle to beat his man off the dribble. He already didn’t have the quickest first step. Maybe more postups from him? Has the beneficial side effect of fewer pullup 3s

GhostOfJiriWelsch | Smart

15 | 19 hours ago

White not being ass last night would’ve went a long way lol

In the end I thought it was a fine look, I like our odds with Jaylen taking that shit more often than not

ShaolinSwervinMonk

1 | 18 hours ago

Eh he could have that shot any point in the game. Joe sucks at drawing up plays. Brad or Spo would have probably got us a free fucking basket at the rim with some type of misdirection

Justalittlejewish

6 | 18 hours ago

Idk man the pistons out strength us at most positions. I think a one on one Jaylen pull up in the paint is one of the better looks we’re getting with 4 seconds on the clock.

sluwecki

2 | 16 hours ago

I never understood why Brad doesn’t take him under his wing for drawing up plays

smithtable15

1 | 6 hours ago

white is a great player, but damn is his shooting buns this year. He seems to shoot 30% from the field every other game. he takes so many bad shots it’s crazy

SheepherderPositive2

3 | 18 hours ago

Without JT Detroit is not a good match up since our best scorers (except for JB) are guards. Just as concerning was how White was getting abused on the defensive end, that Robinson fake jab step was not a good look. Also I never want to see him guard Harris again

seasoned-veteran | I like to defense

3 | 17 hours ago

It’s sort of just a matter of getting Tatum back, but if we keep doing crunch time the way we used to, that just moves it from JB forced shot iso to Tatum forced shot iso, which is a little better but not dramatically so. We need White, JB, and Pritchard to consistently hit catch and shoot crunch time threes around a JT/Queta pick and roll, or invert it and run a JBQ pick and roll because Tatum is so good on the catch and shoot. I like this last solution but idk if Joe would actually run it. JB has obviously elevated everything this year but he’s still too vulnerable to a decisive double on the dribble.

davemoedee | I was there

3 | 14 hours ago

There are no big games until the playoffs. Either Tatum is ready to contribute or he isn’t. We aren’t trading for more offensive power.

kylapoos | mama there goes that man

2 | 19 hours ago

Just let them play and figure it out is the only way

repthe732

1 | 18 hours ago

This only happens if someone else steps up enough to become a threat worth focusing on. So far the only person on the roster who has a proven track record of that is Tatum

Total-Ad8117

1 | 17 hours ago

The problem is cyclical. Jaylen doesn’t really alleviate pressure for the other players and in turn, they can’t alleviate pressure from him.

It wasn’t a coincidence that everyone who played last year started the year in a slump shooting. They were used to easier shots.

Teams have decided to almost let Jaylen get his and funnel him into mid range shots or contested drives but still guard the shooters around him. Jaylen fortunately thrives on a difficult shots but by taking out the rest of the team, it makes it difficult if Jaylen isn’t perfectly efficient (which he has been for most of the season).

Jaylen doesn’t really bend the defense so if you look at everyone’s shot diet, they are all far more difficult than last year.

But this team and Jaylen are still a lot better than projected which should be something!

TreyAdell

1 | 16 hours ago

Just get Tatum back lol. I’m not sure why anyone is reading into anything beyond that.

LarBrd33

1 | 16 hours ago

It’s a good team that has surprised everything by being far better than anyone reasonably expected but it’s still not going to be a serious contender unless their leader returns

sluwecki

0 | 16 hours ago

Jaylen Brown is the best, but he folds under pressure. He’s averaging 6.5 turnovers per game in elimination games. Even when it’s not a big game he is a turnover machine. He has the most turnovers in the Eastern conference. Pretty wild

Beardiful2002

-2 | 18 hours ago

JB tends to regress into “Hero Ball”, he puts the blinders on and goes 1 on 5.
He becomes easier to defend and loses the ball because defenders can collapse on him.

This team has a lot of talent, but suffers when JB tries to do too much.

ShaolinSwervinMonk

9 | 18 hours ago

Nobody was doing shit can’t blame him. Our guys are very limited in creating a shot against great defenses outside of him and maybe Pritchard but even height can bother P at times

samsun387

5 | 16 hours ago

JB is not doing too much, it’s that others are doing too little.

sluwecki

-3 | 16 hours ago

Agreed. Jaylen has the most turnovers in the Eastern conference. He loves losing the ball

How do we alleviate the pressure on Jaylen in big games? Or is it just a matter of getting Tatum back?