Jaylen Brown is getting really dangerous, plus seven things we learned from Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/10/jaylen-brown-is-getting-really-dangerous-plus-seven-things-we-learned-from-boston-celtics-vs-toronto-raptors.html




Jaylen Brown is getting really dangerous, plus seven things we learned from Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors




Today 7:18 AM




Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown reacts after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in Boston, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)


By Tom Westerholm | twesterh@masslive.com



BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics bounced back from their opening night loss by beating the defending champion Toronto Raptors 112-106 in a home opener at TD Garden on Friday.

Here are seven things we learned.

1. Jaylen Brown might be leveling up.

Prior to this season, Jaylen Brown was mostly a 3-and-D wing with some nice straight-line drives to the hoop and a ton of athleticism. When his three was falling, he was super dangerous. When it wasn’t, he could mostly be contained.


Through preseason and one of Boston’s two regular season games (in the other, of course, he battled foul trouble), the work Brown put in on his handle and his passing over the summer is obvious. He’s so much more solid with the ball both in transition and in half-court sets, which allows him to find his spots and his shots more comfortably. He didn’t shoot well from three on Friday (2-for-7), but he was 11-for-20 from the field overall and dropped 25 points. He also threw the best pass I have ever seen him throw in the second half.


Boston Celtics

@celtics
JB with a DIME to Hayward on the break!

https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1187901035638951936
2,043
6:17 PM - Oct 25, 2019


Brown still has plenty of work to do. His off-ball defensive awareness isn’t great, he still bites far too often on pump fakes and a two-game sample size is not enough to declare his offensive issues fixed. But for the Celtics, the early returns are very promising.

2. Jayson Tatum just needs to keep plugging away.

Through two games, Tatum is shooting just 36.4 percent from the field, including a paltry 7-for-15 in the restricted area. He simply hasn’t been able to find the touch yet, especially around the rim.

And yet, he’s averaging 23 points per game on 22 shots. How? Because 1) he’s hitting his 3-pointers (8-for-15) and 2) he’s attempting a lot more of them (7.5 per game). Those are both big numbers for the Celtics, who want to see Tatum taking more 3-pointers and layups this season, and is shot selection this season to date suggests he listened to their advice over the summer.

Even if Tatum isn’t an elite finisher, he won’t keep missing layups like has so far. Expect his paint touch percentage to rise a bit and his 3-point percentages to fall a bit, but shots like this -- especially out of the pick-and-roll -- will turn him into an All-Star sooner rather than later.

3. Robert Williams looks better since preseason.

In preseason action, Williams struggled to defend and often looked out of place within Boston’s defensive schemes. On Friday, he wasn’t elite by any means -- he struggled especially with Pascal Siakam -- but he looked much more solid. Given his startling physical tools, “solid” is more than enough to make him a usable NBA player. Improving his recognition and ability to read the game would be a massive boost.

4. The Celtics played their five best players to close the game.

One problem the Celtics may run into this season: Their five best players -- Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown -- don’t make up your typical lineup positionally.

Against the Raptors, Stevens did something we can probably expect to see him do from time to time: He threw all five out there anyway to close the game.

As it turns out, playing your best players together can be a good strategy. Boston swarmed the Raptors, turned them over and pulled away for a win in the closing minutes behind their talented pack.


“We use our speed, we just scramble and play tough,” Walker said. “That’s how it has to be. We’re not that big, and we have to cover for each other. I thought we did a great job of that.”

5. Pascal Siakam is incredibly good.

When the Raptors inked Siakam to a max extension for four years off his rookie deal, some on Twitter wondered if they overpaid.

It’s early, but I think we can safely say Toronto is going to be thrilled to have Siakam on that deal for the foreseeable future. Every year, he has added something crucial to his game. He has always had incredible tools. Two years ago, he improved as a slasher to the rim. Somewhere along the way, he added a spin move. Now he’s cashing in 3-pointers that look natural and silky smooth -- he finished with 33 points on 11-for-22 shooting.

“He played his ass off tonight,” Brown said. “I think that he’s definitely been working. His shooting definitely opened up the game because we didn’t anticipate him to shoot the ball that well. So now you gotta close out to him and now he’s able to get to his right, to his left, opens up his game. If he can shoot like that all year, he’s going to be tough for sure.”

6. Without Enes Kanter, the Celtics still hit the offensive glass.


Brian Robb

@BrianTRobb
21 offensive rebounds tonight for the Celtics

167
6:25 PM - Oct 25, 2019


For the record, that would have been a season-high last year.

The Celtics got six (!) out of Grant Williams, as well as three each from Tatum, Hayward, Walker and Daniel Theis. That won’t continue, but we can probably safely say the Celtics are going to be scrappier on the offensive glass this season.

7. Getting one in the “win” column matters.

The Celtics had a real chance to start the season 0-4 prior to Friday night. After dropping their first game to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics faced Toronto (the defending champs), New York on the second night of a back to back, and Milwaukee. All four of those games are eminently losable contests.

If the Celtics lost four straight to start the season, uncomfortable questions might have begun to trickle upward, which could have snowballed a bit. Getting another win on Saturday against the Knicks would be really nice insurance before next Wednesday’s home showdown vs. Milwaukee, but the Celtics staved off the 0-for-4 start to the season. That might or might not matter much, but it has to feel a little better.



bob



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