“I just think as he gets more experience, he’s getting better,” Stevens said. “He’s done a great job working in the weight room, doing different things to continue to go through the long season, and he’s really, really starting to peak, I think. It’s been fun to watch. We played him at the one some tonight, which we haven’t done yet, and it allowed us to be really big on the other end of the floor, which was nice. But obviously, he’s just a talented guy. He does a lot of good things.”
“Well, when we play those big lineups, with Tatum at the top of that, that’s a pretty good guard at the top of the 2-3 zone, when he puts his arms out,” Stevens said. “We ran it a couple times in the first half with mixed results, but a lot of our issues were late in the clock. It felt like something we could go back to if we needed to, but sometimes it’s really a good move, sometimes they just miss shots.”
CelticsWire: Point Tatum shines in 2-3 zone in Boston Celtics win over Toronto Raptors
A lot of us, me specifically, have asked Jayson Tatum to be more aggressive. Well, he has responded.
Since Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis last played a game…
Marcus Morris: 21.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 50% FG, 51.4% 3PT
Terry Rozier: 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists
Jayson Tatum: 17.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 50.4% FG, 44.4% FG
And the Celtics are 7-2.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 1, 2018
Tatum has had 11 games where he’s scored 20 or more this season… four of which have come in the past couple of weeks (starting with the Pelicans game). In fact, those four games have been four of his highest scoring outputs of the season (topped only by 27 in Atlanta).
With Tatum handling the ball more, he was able to help the Celtics not just by scoring… but by making plays like this:
Morris gets the lefty to fall through contact off the sweet dime by Tatum! https://t.co/q2gmiBvaEO
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 1, 2018
There has been one question about Tatum, especially in relation to the Rookie of the Year voting: What kind of season would he have had if he’d been “the guy” from the beginning. Where guys like Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, and others have had enjoyed high-usage seasons, Tatum has willingly deferred to the veterans on the floor.
Well, now we’re starting to see what that answer might be. Without some of those other veterans, Tatum has spent the past few weeks showing glimpses of a well-rounded skill set. His shooting is back at its phenomenal early-season level (and he’s shooting more… three of his top four field goal attempt games have come this month). He’s passing and rebounding well. And he’s defending well… especially in that zone defense
“With Tatum at the top of that, that’s a pretty good guard at the top of the 2-3 zone, when he puts his arms out,” Stevens said.
The Celtics are doing what they need to do to win games. A lot of guys are stepping up, but Tatum is rising to another level. He is often the only player on the floor with the ability to create offense for himself and others, which is a lot to ask of a recently-turned-20-year-old guy.
He’s doing it, though. He’s showing us new wrinkles to his game nearly every time out, which not only bode well for the playoff run… it’s another reason to be excited about his future.
Related links: BSJ: Analysis: Point Tatum? Breaking down a promising performance for the rookie
On Page 2: Boston is starting to love Marcus Morris
“I thought he was going to be a huge part of our team from the get-go,” Stevens said. “Obviously, he went through the injury early, got himself feeling great. He talks about how he’s never felt better. He’s playing great.”
The standing ovation that Morris received after his ejection only hammered home how Boston fans have embraced Morris lately.
“It’s been up and down,” Morris said. “I think [fans are] just starting to love me more. I think they liked me, but now they’re starting to love me. So I appreciate that.”
ESPN Boston: Celtics’ Morris ejected between FT attempts
“I said this when we traded for him: We really struggled to guard Marcus Morris. Always had a lot of respect for the way he could play,” Stevens said. “Thought he was going to be a huge part of our team from the get go. Obviously went through all the injury early but got himself feeling great. Talks about how he’s never felt better and he’s playing great.”
Globe: Marcus Morris has found a role, and a home, in Boston
Speaking of guys who are stepping up…
Morris is quietly having the best offensive season of his career. The raw numbers don’t look radically different from years past, but when you consider he’s matched or exceeded his numbers in Detroit while playing 6-10 fewer minutes, you see that he’s contributing in a much more efficient way.
That’s why his PER is at a career high 15.3. His Per-36 and Per 100 possession scoring numbers are also at career highs (18.4 & 25.6). His .550 TS% is a couple of ticks off a career-best and he’s never shot 3’s as well as he has this season.
A lot of this production is recent, which is the product of finally being healthy (as referenced by Brad Stevens). A lot of people, myself included, saw his earlier production and thought it was expendable. Stevens, though, stuck with Morris and it’s paying off.
Mook has been brilliant offensively without Kyrie (look at Jay King’s tweet at the top again). On top of that, he came up with one of the biggest defensive plays of the game last night when we swatted Kyle Lowry.
All this means is Stevens has more options when the team is at full strength. A Morris-led group can be productive now, which is a new wrinkle that didn’t exist pre-All Star break. That’s enough to get him love from the Boston faithful.
Of course, for some reason, we love it when guys get ejected. Isaiah Thomas won us over immediately by getting ejected in his first game with the Celtics, and now Mook getting tossed in such a cool way makes him an instant here. Mostly because of this:
Legendary stuff.
And Finally…
Can we settle this? Brad’s the Coach of the Year.
A lot of people, even me, were swayed by the Celtics swoon and drop to the second seed. I had elevated Dwane Casey to a neck-and-neck race with Stevens. And while I’m still impressed with the overall work he’s done in Toronto, last night was a bit of a clinic in coaching on Brad’s part. Not only did he flummox the Raptors with a zone, which they had no answer or adjustment for, he whipped out creative plays to get production out of players.
Here’s one in particular that was singled out by Brian Scalabrine in the broadcast. This was a Greg Monroe isolation all along. But look at how many other things Brad had going on to make sure no help came over to strip the ball away.
Tatum starting on the right side… Horford sets a pick for Morris to come around up to get the ball. Right away this play is starting to look like something to get Morris a good look and keep him going. Horford drops into the corner, where he is a threat to score. Tatum goes back to set a pick for Morris, even demonstratively waving Morris over… as if to signal to the whole world “Hey Marcus we really want to give you the ball here so here’s a pick coming!”
But all that pick did was keep a couple of defenders occupied. The plan the whole time was to have Monroe abuse Jakob Poeltl.
Running a play in the NBA isn’t just about finding a way to get a guy the ball, it’s about accounting for all five defenders on the floor and getting them to do what you want them to do. That’s what this play highlighted.
Related links: Globe: Brad Stevens has vaulted to the top of the Coach of the Year discussion | Herald: Bulpett: Best record in conference may not be a concern for Stevens
The rest of the links
Globe: Shorthanded Celtics put hurting on the Raptors
ESPN Boston: Tracking the key injuries in NBA postseason race
Herald: Celtics notebook: Cedric Maxwell happy for Charlie Scott’s Hall call | Walter McCarty an admirer | Horford, Morris return to power win at Garden
MassLive: Boston Celtics playoff picture: After win over Toronto Raptors, Celtics trail one seed by just two games | Aron Baynes’ unlikely flurry: Boston Celtics big man hits second and third 3-pointers of his career | Dwane Casey: With Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier, Boston Celtics a ‘tough shot-making team’ | Boston Celtics news: Kyrie Irving extending knee, Jaylen Brown available vs. Toronto Raptors
NBCS Boston: Celtics keep on finding ways to win, earn sixth-straight victory vs Raptors | Morris leads Celtics over Eastern Conference-leading Raptors, 110-99 | Rozier good at getting it started for Celtics
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