3 positive trends for the C’s in the season’s second half

https://hardwoodhoudini.com/2020/02/27/boston-celtics-3-positive-trends/




3 positive trends for the C’s in the season’s second half



by Andrew Hughes
1 day ago




We are witnessing a team that is defying all preseason pundit predictions in the 2019-20 Boston Celtics. If these three trends continue, the trajectory will continue to be upwards.
With their recent 114-103 victory over the Utah Jazz–on the second night of a back-to-back after a victory in Portland–the Boston Celtics are continuing to create momentum for a run at the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference.


Once again, Jayson Tatum was a superstar. Yes, despite what Nick Wright from Fox Sports has to say, Tatum is providing max-contract value each game as he embarks on what has been a historic run.


StatMuse

@statmuse
Jayson Tatum in February:

30.5 PPG
51.4 FG%
50.0 3P%

Only one other Celtic has averaged 30 PPG on 50% shooting in a month in the NBA three-point era; Larry Bird.


1,678
9:54 PM - Feb 26, 2020


That has been a season-long trend, but has been amplified in recent times. Tatum’s recent stretch of scoring 30 points in four of his last five contests (the other being a 28 point outing) has propelled him to a greater spotlight.

With Kemba Walker missing the last few games with a knee ailment, Tatum has more than kept the Boston Celtics afloat. In a season that needed to see Walker have a legitimate sidekick, several rotation members have made leaps in their games…none even close to Tatum’s.

Today, the Houdini is going to spot out three broader trends than just the individual greatness of the C’s newest All-Star. If these three trends continue, the sky (or at minimum a potential Eastern Conference Finals berth) is the limit:





Daniel Theis showing he is the answer at center


Daniel Theis is adept at doing the little things for the Boston Celtics. He has become a master at the art of the seal, and it has made things easier for all of his teammates to get open looks…Tatum included.

Following yesterday’s victory in Utah, Tatum lauded Theis’ screening ability and gave perspective on how important his contributions have been:

…Especially for me, he opens the game up so much with getting me easy buckets. That opens the game up for me and he does it for everybody. That’s a thing that doesn’t show up in the stat book. Theis is that dude.”

More importantly than the team’s emerging star player, Theis is getting recognized by head coach as well:

“His screening angles are great. His rolls are great. And he’s very unselfish,” Stevens said. “He does a lot of unselfish things.”

With Walker and Tatum serving as the team’s stars and Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward occupying the tier right below, there was long thought to be a void at the center position. However, Theis is perfectly fine doing the little things to bring value to the 5-spot.





Gordon Hayward providing the occasional masterpiece

When fully healthy, the Boston Celtics lean most heavily on the play of their recent max contract signee Kemba Walker. Without Walker, it has of course been the brilliance of Jayson Tatum keeping the team afloat.

Remember, though, Tatum is just 21 years old. Just as we should expect his growth to continue, we must not forget that the occasional growing pain will be felt. It just hasn’t been felt in a while given Tatum’s red-hot February.

On days where Tatum isn’t performing up to the new expectations he has set, it is important that the team gets his explosive stat-sheet stuffing elsewhere.

Enter Gordon Hayward.

Like Walker, Hayward was brought in on a max deal, putting big expectations on the forward that he has yet to truly live up to in his three seasons as a member of the Celtics. That said, he has risen to the occasion this season and has provided a boost to a team that excels on the strength of their best five.

When Tatum’s shot isn’t falling, Hayward needs to shine in his role. Even when things are working, Hayward needs to give the team near-All-Star minutes to make good on his investment. We need more of the 12-17 shooting performances like he had against the Timberwolves last week and less of the 5-15 duds he had against the Lakers this past Sunday.





Players must continue to have “next man up” mentality

The Boston Celtics have won 41 games so far in 2019-20 because injuries have not caused any significant setbacks. The first significant domino to fall was supposed to be Gordon Hayward breaking his hand back in November.

Stevens’ team could have wilted without one of their highly paid guns. Instead, it was the “next man up” mentality that got them through:

“He’s going to miss time, but whenever you miss a little bit less time there can be a silver lining. There are a lot of games and we have an opportunity, now, for other guys to step up as he’s out. That will be the real challenge. We have a tough schedule, but when one of your guys goes down, it’s an opportunity for someone else.”

Since Hayward went down, the team has dealt with sporadic absences from their stars–Walker’s current knee injury being the most prevalent problem–as well as longer-term absences from the likes of Robert Williams and Enes Kanter.

The mantra has held, though. Like the Toronto Raptors, who have held onto the #2 seed in the east with injuries to Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell, the Boston Celtics just don’t buckle when players miss games.

Kudos to Brad Stevens for keeping his guys motivated, and kudos to the culture at large for churning out another top playoff seed.


bob


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