Boston Celtics takeaways: Avery Bradley focusing on corner 3s, team depth is real

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



Boston Celtics takeaways: Avery Bradley focusing on corner 3s, team depth is real

Boston Celtics down Real Madrid: Three takeaways, including ball movement, lineups & more
Boston Celtics defeat Real Madrid: Analysis of the ball movement, defensive lineups, and Terry Rozier's performance as a rookie playing professional ball.

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

on October 09, 2015 at 1:30 AM, updated October 09, 2015 at 2:12 AM




Four seconds. That's all it took.

After grabbing a rebound, David Lee wasted no time. The big man spun away from a defender, took two hard dribbles toward the opposite rim and tossed a crisp outlet pass to teammate Jae Crowder.

All at once, the Boston Celtics had already busted out, preparing themselves for a scoring opportunity at the other end of the court. Crowder dribbled past his defender, forced Avery Bradley's man to help and pitched it to Bradley. By the time he caught the ball, only four seconds had elapsed from the time Lee first touched the rebound. Bradley set his feet just where the coaching staff wants him -- in the corner -- and swished a three, increasing his team's lead early during a 111-96 win against Real Madrid.

A freeze frame of the possession shows Bradley wasn't the only one to sprint the full court before the shot clock dropped below 20. Center Tyler Zeller also committed himself to running his lane, and Lee soon followed to get himself in offensive rebounding position -- about 90 feet from where he started the play. Isaiah Thomas lurked behind the action in case a swing pass was necessary.


Screen shot from NBA.com

The Celtics have plenty of good players, yes, but don't have enough talent to succeed by freelancing. They surged into the playoffs as an unselfish team, added a couple of veterans who should fit that template, and opened the preseason by blitzing through a two-game European trip one cohesive possession at a time.


The depth is real

The most obvious takeaway from the 2-0 start: Boston's depth is no myth. We spent a lot of the summer wondering what the heck head coach Brad Stevens would do for a rotation, and his decisions shouldn't be much easier yet.

He wants his team to play fast, hard and together -- much like last year, except hopefully with a few improvements. One of those improvements could be Lee, who, despite his defensive shortcomings, looks to be lifting the offense already. His playmaking represents a major upgrade from that of Brandon Bass, the power forward Lee could replace in the starting lineup.

Really, this is beautiful basketball:

https://vine.co/v/e0b6rxqLbgD


Assuming Stevens keeps the bench mostly intact -- as he has so far during the preseason -- it should again be a strong group, led by Isaiah Thomas. If the starting lineup even grows from bad to average, the Celtics should improve.

The above possession also shows...


Bradley's apparent changes

It's early in the preseason, but all of Bradley's eight 3-point attempts have been from the corners. That could just be a small sample size fluke, but the coaching staff has instructed him -- and others -- to run to that spot within the offense. The following sidestep likely would have been a one-dribble pull-up for a midrange jumper last season. Instead, it was a rhythm corner three:

https://vine.co/v/e0q1Pg3OZvQ

In related news, Bradley is now 7 for 8 from behind the arc. Forget the percentage -- that will inevitably come down. For now, his shot profile is more important. He has taken eight corner threes (where he's 38.4 percent for his career), zero above-the-break threes and just four midrange jumpers. If he sustains that ratio or even approaches it, that would be a huge improvement over last season's -- and should qualify as another one of those improvements Stevens would like to see. Just shifting some of his shots around should make Bradley a more efficient scorer.

So far this preseason, the Celtics have tried 8.5 corner threes per game, which would have ranked them second overall last season. Through two games, at least, Stevens' calls for better shots are being heard.



bob
MY NOTE:  "Point Forward" David Lee.  I counted 3 seconds gone from the time Lee got the rebound to where it was over halfcourt and in Crowder's hands.  2 seconds later, at 19 seconds left on the shot clock over the basket, the ball was out of Bradley's hands and towards the hoop.  5 seconds, 3 points and the defense was being run right down into the paint.  Three Madrid players inside the dotted arc, one Madrid player trying to close out Bradley and Lee appears in the picture under the rim as the ball is on its way.  Lee's man is still not to be seen.

We'll see how our defense stacks up against NBA size, speed and beef but this is winning basketball here.


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