Boston Celtics practice notes: Big man David Lee given freedom to handle the ball in transition

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2015/10/boston_celtics_practice_notes_11.html#incart_river



Boston Celtics practice notes: Big man David Lee given freedom to handle the ball in transition


Print Email Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com

on October 02, 2015 at 7:55 PM, updated October 02, 2015 at 7:56 PM




WALTHAM -- The Boston Celtics have given David Lee the freedom to lead fast breaks as head coach Brad Stevens looks to utilize his new big man's playmaking ability.

While stressing he doesn't care which guard dribbles the ball up court, Stevens threw Lee into the group of players who will handle some ball-handling responsibilities.

"I don't care," Stevens said before practice Friday. "If David Lee has it, I want him to bring the ball up. I don't care who brings the ball up the floor, we need to get into our sets and play. We have some versatility in that regard."

After acquiring Lee this summer, Stevens watched Synergy clips of the veteran dating back years to see how the Celtics could maximize his talents. Lee's court vision and willingness to pass have always stood out, and Boston runs a lot of its offense through the frontcourt anyway, especially when Isaiah Thomas is on the bench.

Said Lee, "When I get a defensive rebound, one of the things (Stevens) wants me to do is push the ball. With how our spacing is set up, it's not necessary for me to go Charles Barkley coast-to-coast. Instead, with the amount of dribble handoffs and pick-and-roll stuff he wants to do, I'm going to be able to put my man who's guarding me on their heels. And then if I pitch it to somebody for a pick-and-roll, now you're asking a big guy to be backpedaling and now all of a sudden get out and hedge on a screen-and-roll.

"I know when I'm on defense and a big guy pushes the ball and goes into that, it's difficult for me to react to because it's something that bigs aren't used to doing. To answer your question specifically, he's given me a lot of freedom with that. Now it's my responsibility to make good basketball plays for myself and others. I think big guys always have that freedom until you throw about three balls into the stands in a row. They tell you, like, 'Alright, find a point guard when you get the rebound.' So I'll do my best to make good decisions on that."

"I grew kinda late," Lee explained, "so I was a point guard my freshman year of high school. I've always been a guy who's played outside some. And when I played for Mike D'Antoni a little bit in New York, I was asked to do that quite a bit. I had guys like (Brian) Scalabrine (who was standing in the media scrum) that I had to take out on the perimeter because I wasn't strong enough to take him in the post. So I've always kind of had that as a part of my game, and I think it's something that Coach wants to utilize."


Lineups likely to change in Europe

After practice Friday, the Celtics flew to Europe where they will have preseason games in Italy and Spain. Stevens said he expects to use two different starting lineups in those games, and may not settle on a first unit until late in the preseason.

"I think it's very likely that we'll start different lineups in each game overseas," Stevens said. "We can certainly discuss it and talk about it, but I don't thin anything will be set in stone. I think you want to have it somewhat set by the time we start our last week of the preseason."

One reporter wondered whether the Celtics might change their starting lineups based on matchups.

"I go with ballhandlers, wings, swings, and bigs. That's the way I look at the game," Stevens replied. "I would like to have two ballhandlers on the court at once, but that's not always the case. It doesn't always happen that way. I would like to have multiple swing guys on the court at once, like Jonas and Jae. That's a good thing. But it doesn't always happen that way. You try to mix and match the best that you can, so we'll see. Ideally, when you sit in meetings right now, you say 'Yeah, I'd like to be able to change starting lineups all the time,' and all that stuff, but we'll see if that fits in a plan and in reality, whether it can work. I don't know. Right now I'm more focused on whoever is in the game and how they are playing."

When asked if he thinks Stevens might have a good idea of lineups already, Lee laughed and suggested somebody should ask the coach.

Eventually, the big man said, "Every single day we've been switching it up in practice and really balancing the teams. And that's been a huge plus for me because I've gotten a chance to play alongside a different big every single day. Play some 4, play some 5. Play with a different point guard every day. It's been great rather than just playing with the same guy, then when I get in the game with somebody else and I have no idea what their strengths and weaknesses are. I've played with different guards every day and I've gotten used to what they want to accomplish on the court and how I can make them more comfortable."



bob
MY NOTE: Brad's approach to the game produces quick chemistry development. We saw that last year a bit. If Danny didn't blow the team up for a month or two we saw some nice chemistry develop between the players and that's because Brad looks at the game as ballhandlers, wings, swings and bigs and not in traditional terms of PG, SG, SF, PF and C and wanting the same players starting just because they fit those slots. They get to play with a lot of different players because they are being matched up with, say, a swing and that could be one of a few players. David Lee must be thinking he died and went to heaven. He's in a good system, if that's what you can call Brad's approach, he's probably going to get minutes because he's not being locked out by a Draymond Green level talent and he's being told to "just play his game".


.

To say I'm looking forward to the regular season is quite the understatement. It is going to be so interesting to see how Stevens plays everybody (or doesn't play someone) and what style or styles this team develops!

Bring it on!

bobc33 wrote:To say I'm looking forward to the regular season is quite the understatement.  It is going to be so interesting to see how Stevens plays everybody (or doesn't play someone) and what style or styles this team develops!

Bring it on!

bob,

Me too!  This year feels a little different to me.

During the Dead Decades I was a fan, of course, but it was hard to get excited for the season because I knew we were doormats.  During the early years of the 2000s I was amused by the team but in a sort of eye-rolling type of way.  I knew that a team that had Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker as their stars wasn't going very far.  When they made the EC Finals against Jason Kidd's Nets I was shocked.  When KG and Ray Allen came in 2007-2008 I was psyched just like everybody else.  I didn't know how long it would take them to gel, turns out it only took a trip to Italy (sound recently familiar?) but who knew that at the time?  They gelled immediately but they also could have blown up like the Laker team of 2003-2004, with Karl Malone and Gary Payton.  They were loaded with veterans too and were expected to win, but they couldn't before their window closed.  Once we won the championship my expectations completely changed.  I wasn't up for the regular season as much.  We had a team that everybody knew would go deep into the playoffs and that's what my expectations and focus was on.  The regular season existed only as a ritualistic speed bump for the playoffs.  Then "The Trade" with Brooklyn and I reset my expectation horizon accordingly, 3-5 years minimum.

Here we are, about to start year 3, and we've got ourselves a few players worth watching and a coach that is off the charts flexible.  How we do during the season does and will have an effect on how we will do in the playoffs because we are not the grizzled veteran team of the 3 Amigos that could shrug off anything and focus on winning playoffs games like nothing else happened before.  These guys hold promise but they are like a box of chocolates.  For the first time since 2008-2009, the regular season actually means something.

We have a decent team.  A team that wins 40 games is decent.  We have the chance to be a good, 46-50 win team this year.  GSW won 48 games in 2012, 51 games in 2013 and they were considered a "good" team even in a very tough WC.  Then they picked up Kerr and Iggy, their young'uns (Curry, Thompson, Barnes and Green) matured and won the championship but, for 2 years, they were "just a good team" at 48 & 51 wins.

48-50 wins is doable this year for us.  We could graduate from decent to good this year.  Another year of growth for our young'uns, some new veterans (one of whom is a 2x all-star and World Champion) showing them the way and we could be a good team by the time the playoffs roll around this year.  It is that growth, from decent to good, that has me excited because I saw what happened when a good team makes a few changes, adds a key veteran and has young'uns with more than a year or two under their belts.

Green goggles?  You betcha, but I wouldn't want it any other way.


bob


.

dboss,

It can be effective in limited doses. The Warriors used it effectively with Draymond Green. It's not that you want guys like Lee or Green bringing the ball up all the time, but a guy who can get the rebound, turn, and go can put the defense off balance. It allows the wing players to spot up for open shots or cut to the basket.

It takes a guy who can handle the ball well enough to push it up the floor and has the skills to finish or pass the ball. Lee can do that.

dboss wrote:I do not like the idea of lee bringing the ball up the floor.  That is a very stupid idea.  He does not handle the ball well enough and he is not quick enough to do that.

The notion of fast break basketball would dictate that the ball is moved up the court as quickly as possible while guys run the floor hard.

If coach Stevens wants to improve the fast break stat he would be well to look at some old Celtics film.  

dboss

dboss,

I'd be surprised if we saw David Lee bringing the ball full court. What we might see is Lee getting the rebounding and dribbling out of traffic and make a running outlet pass to a guard from 3/4 court, or maybe half (but I wouldn't expect to see that happen often). I wouldn't trust Amir or Sully and certainly not Zeller to do even that. Kelly, yes, I would. Kelly is a very good ball handler for a big. If he can get out of the pack, and there aren't guards right there to slap at it, he could go full court. If there is a guard there he'll pass and one of our guards will be free on the break because his man is back slapping at Kelly.

You want to outrun your defenders. If a big can get out on the fast break, with or without the ball, that's a plus for us. If the fast break is slower because it's a big bringing it up it's still a plus as long as his man is behind him and not up there with him. Not a classic fast break, to be sure, but 3-on-2 is still 3-on-2 and if you don't stop the ball the ball should keep going straight to the rim and that's what I want to see on a fast break, as opposed to a guard bringing the ball up court and then passing to a corner for a 3. Layups over 3s, right? I'm just fine with a big taking the ball to the rim even if there's a big waiting for him and making that big play defense or foul. That won't work as well if it's a wing bringing it to a big. That match up is more likely to result in that pass out.


bob



.

dboss wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

dboss wrote:I do not like the idea of lee bringing the ball up the floor.  That is a very stupid idea.  He does not handle the ball well enough and he is not quick enough to do that.

The notion of fast break basketball would dictate that the ball is moved up the court as quickly as possible while guys run the floor hard.

If coach Stevens wants to improve the fast break stat he would be well to look at some old Celtics film.  

dboss

dboss,

I'd be surprised if we saw David Lee bringing the ball full court.  What we might see is Lee getting the rebounding and dribbling out of traffic and make a running outlet pass to a guard from 3/4 court, or maybe half (but I wouldn't expect to see that happen often).  I wouldn't trust Amir or Sully and certainly not Zeller to do even that.  Kelly, yes, I would.  Kelly is a very good ball handler for a big.  If he can get out of the pack, and there aren't guards right there to slap at it, he could go full court.  If there is a guard there he'll pass and one of our guards will be free on the break because his man is back slapping at Kelly.  

You want to outrun your defenders.  If a big can get out on the fast break, with or without the ball, that's a plus for us.  If the fast break is slower because it's a big bringing it up it's still a plus as long as his man is behind him and not up there with him.  Not a classic fast break, to be sure, but 3-on-2 is still 3-on-2 and if you don't stop the ball the ball should keep going straight to the rim and that's what I want to see on a fast break, as opposed to a guard bringing the ball up court and then passing to a corner for a 3.  Layups over 3s, right?  I'm just fine with a big taking the ball to the rim even if there's a big waiting for him and making that big play defense or foul.  That won't work as well if it's a wing bringing it to a big.  That match up is more likely to result in that pass out.


bob



.

Hi Bob

I do not think we will see a lot of that (bigs bringing  up the ball)

At some point we will see Rozier running the break and he is lightning quick with the ball in his hands.  

KO as you mentioned can handle the rock because he played guard before he grew tall.

I think Amir also has some ability to rebound and go.

But I am an old fashion guy.  Get the rebound and find the guy that is best at running the break or find the guy that is running the floor and fill the lanes.  Can you imagine how good the LA fast break would have been back when Magic was playing if jabbar ran the floor?

dboss

dboss,

I agree with that, get it to the best guy for the job, which is usually the point guard.

Suppose they're covering them like a glove specifically because we running them out of the gym? Then it would be helpful to have bigs who can dribble it up, at least away from traffic, to get the fast break started.

Could you imagine how good the LA fast break would have been if Jabbar or Rambis could dribble like Kelly? Jabbar dribbles out to the free throw line to get away from Parish and hits Magic who is already over half court?


bob


.