Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors: 5 things to watch, including attacking, Kemba Walker’s bounce back, and anxious rookies

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/10/boston-celtics-vs-toronto-raptors-5-things-to-watch-including-attacking-kemba-walkers-bounce-back-and-anxious-rookies.html




Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors: 5 things to watch, including attacking, Kemba Walker’s bounce back, and anxious rookies



Today 5:00 AM




PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 23: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Boston Celtics lays up a shot against James Ennis III #11 of the Philadelphia 76ers asAl Horford #42 looks on at Wells Fargo Center on October 23, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers won 107-93. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)




By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com




The Boston Celtics open up the home portion of their schedule on Friday night when they host the Toronto Raptors at 7 PM. The C’s are coming off a tough loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the season opener where we saw some things that are worth watching as the early part of the season progresses.


Here are five things to watch for on Friday night.


1. Will the attacking continue?

Gordon Hayward was especially aggressive in the season opener, attacking and driving at Harden-like rate. Jayson Tatum was almost as aggressive, mostly making good on his promise to adjust his shot profile.

The Raptors aren’t as big as Philly, and there isn’t as much rim protection. If Hayward and Tatum continue to attack, they both could have big games.


2. Will the ball move more?

As good as the attacking was at some points, there still wasn’t enough of the side-to-side ball movement that Brad Stevens preaches.

Part of the issue, if you can call it an issue, is that Boston has guys who can handle the ball and get by defenders. Still, getting past one guy doesn’t mean another won’t rotate over to help. Tatum was guilty of forcing what might be considered “make-able” shots in situations where a kick-out might have been more appropriate.

Tatum is sort of like Luke Skywalker in Empire Strikes Back: he’s so close to completing his training but he’s still not really quite at full power. He’s so obviously capable of much more that it’s tough to wait for the training to be complete. If he can learn to be just a little more selective, even if he’s gotten to the second level of the defense, then he can truly harness full efficiency.


3. Will Kemba Walker ease into things?

The short answer here is yes, of course he will. At some point, Kemba Walker will return to being Kemba Walker.

Will he do it in the home opener? How much of what happened in Philadelphia was jitters, how much was Philly’s size, and how much was simply the need for more time to get fully familiar with everything?

Philly’s defense was certainly a factor, but he also got himself a bunch of clean looks. You have to believe he’ll want to put on a show for the home crowd.


4. How does Jaylen Brown bounce back?

Everyone has off nights. James Harden was in foul trouble early last night and shot 15.4 percent, so it clearly can happen to anyone.

Still, Brown has had a bit of an unsettling tendency over his career to get caught up in the waves of either bad performance or bad luck. In a world where Brad Stevens challenges his players to quickly get past mistakes and “make the next right play,” Brown can get a deer in the headlights thing going from time to time.


It doesn’t happen a lot, but it happens enough that it’s clearly something he needs to work on as he gets older and wiser in the league. Against Philadelphia, as the fouls piled up, Brown suffered through some mental lapses that exacerbated the problem.


John Karalis

@RedsArmy_John
4th foul on Jaylen Brown last night.

Soft call? Sure, but it's also an automatic one. He put his hands right on Richardson's body. Why he isn't just sliding with his hands up is beyond me.

https://twitter.com/RedsArmy_John/status/1187511646022967296

4:30 PM - Oct 24, 2019


A nice, clean game from Brown where he can slash and show off some of his newly honed on-court skills will be a nice palate cleanser.


5. How do the rookies react?

This is going to seem mean, but it’s really not.

Here’s Carsen Edwards’ first career shot attempt:


via GIPHY

I highlight this not to poke fun, but to show you that Edwards was probably a little too amped up for his debut.

Edwards is an extraordinarily good shooter, and shooters that good don’t miss that badly very often. Given the circumstances, it’s totally understandable.

That shot, and the 20 percent shooting, will in no way impact Stevens’ decisions on Edwards’ playing time. He’ll get another shot, literally and figuratively, and eventually he’ll start to drill a few. It’d be nice for everyone involved if he, and Grant Williams for that matter, can get out there in front of the home crowd and show what they can do.



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