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Celtics Wrap: Strong Bench Effort Gets Boston Back In Win Column Vs. Knicks
The Celtics got a much-needed win vs. the Knicks


NESN by Patrick McAvoy

The Boston Celtics got back in the win column Saturday night.

At one point it looked like a blowout in the making, but thanks to a massive third quarter run the New York Knicks got themselves back in but it wouldn’t be enough as Boston took the game, 114-107.

With the win the Celtics improved their record to 15-15, while the Knicks fell to 13-17.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The third quarter didn’t go the Celtics’ way, but they still were able to muster up a win in the end. Boston held a 15-point lead heading into half time but saw its lead evaporate almost immediately in the third quarter with New York beginning the quarter on a 12-2 run and tying the score with 6:39 remaining in the quarter.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Celtics were able to re-take control of the game in big part thanks to the performances of Jaylen Brown and Josh Richardson down the stretch. Richardson off the bench had his best game as a member of the Celtics, scoring a season-high 27 points. With all of the players missing Saturday each and every one was needed.

Payton Pritchard also was impressive off the bench with 16 points. Overall the Celtics’ bench played a massive role in the win outscoring the Knicks’ bench 47-

STARS OF THE GAME
— Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston on Saturday night. The Celtics finished the night with 23 points, five assists and four rebounds and looked comfortable from the get-go. It was Brown’s third game back since returning from a hamstring injury and by far looked like himself.


— Richardson and Pritchard both saw extended time off the bench against the Knicks because of the team’s COVID-19 and injury issues and made the most of their time. Pritchard finished the night with a season-high 28 minutes and it resulted in 16 points. While Richardson stole the show and even was more impressive with team-high 27 points and three steals.


— Kemba Walker missed each of the Knicks’ last 10 games after being taken out of the rotation and in his first game back looked like the Walker of old. The Knicks have been dealing with COVID-19 and injury issues of their own which paved the way for Walker’s return but he shined finishing with a season-high 29 points to go along with six rebounds.


WAGER WATCH
Brown could’ve made you some serious cash Saturday night. DraftKings Sportsbook set his odds to hit five or more threes at +700 — meaning if you placed a $100 wager down you would make a profit of $700 — and he came through with exactly five.


UP NEXT
The Celtics will take Sunday off but return to action Monday night as they welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to TD Garden. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

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Very good. I am already way off base in my prediction for this 5-game home stand. We're 2-1 so far. That is already a far cry from 1-4 or 0-5 as I predicted.

Most importantly, it appears the J's are making up for lost time all in one fell swoop. We're not having to say they need 2-4 weeks to get used to each other back in the line up together, it's going to take time, etc. It's showtime no matter what the circumstances.

Now again, this wasn't a complete 4-quarter, start-to-finish shellacking that it could have been but the tandem has returned in full force, is kicking butt and taking names for sure. Good to see the bench erupt and step up like that also.

Improvements across the board. If we do ever learn how to play 100% for 4 quarters, nothing will stop this team. That's probably the quandary Brad is in. Just when we think he should pull the plug, something (or someone) shifts and we see results like this. It's a moving target for sure and may force a no-decision let the team grow together for the year outcome vs. a big trade. If there ever was a time for our record to get off the .500 mark, this period right here right now would appear to be the time. It's now or never really. If we don't gain some traction at this juncture, we'll finish around the .500 mark and get bounced again in the first round if we even make it there.

db

Game ball would have to go to JRich and PP, if these guys can continue to play like that, we will be a very tough out for anybody. On a night the 2 J’s played okay, not either’s A game, those 2 guys were essential. JRich is a great defender, racks up steals all over the floor. I read somewhere he’s really happy here in the offense, that his last stop they tried to make him a catch and shoot player; didn’t let him play his game, which is probing and creating, mixed in with the shooting. If PP can keep hitting those 3’s he may cut into Schroder’s playing time, which will be a good thing, as his outside shooting is too streaky.

I noticed J’s taking turns bring the ball up the floor ala Scottie Pippen or more recently Paul George. Either way I like taking the pressure off Smart to initiate the offense every possession, as we know what Smart can bring; but you cannot have him run the offense possession after possession like Chris Paul, because he’s not that player. RWill looked better, noticed he snatched more rebounds, last game he was tapping the ball too many times and losing the possession/ball.

Last game we were shorthanded and playing in a fog at the beginning of the game, then turned it on, shutdown the possible MVP Curry and went down to the wire with the best team in the league. If it wasn’t for a couple plays and ice cold FT shooting, we should have had that game. Tonight the bench made such a big contribution, overcame major shortage of players, team shared the ball down the stretch, good team ball. Team is making progress.

cowens pretty much covered it. Happy we won .Happy for Kemba.Thibs was an excellent assisstant. Too much of a martinet as head coach, in my opinion.

It got a little scary there in the 3rd (ok, maybe more than just 'a little') but all's well that ends well.  So instead of winning by the 15 points we were up after 3 we only won by half that much.  We won 3 out of 4 quarters, and that'll do it most of the time (as long as you don't lose that quarter by 17).


Jay King @ByJayKing
yesterday
Josh Richardson on what Ime Udoka did when he was livid during the third: “I don’t know how much he told you. I ain’t no snitch.” Richardson said Udoka lit into the Celtics. He said he later told Udoka, “That was good. We needed that.”

Jay King @ByJayKing
yesterday
Ime Udoka said he was “livid” at the way the Celtics were playing in the third quarter, but thought they had three great quarters of defense besides that.


Randle shot 6-19, 1-7 from 3.  While the expansion of his offense out to the arc was a requirement for his game he is one of the cleverest low post players in the league.  Every time he shoots a 3 a Tyrannosaurus Rex angel gets its wings, and becomes something nobody recognizes.

Kemba with the throwback game, making Thibs look like a fool.  Remember when the Knicks were in 5th place or so?  They are now in 12th, 2 games in the loss column out of the last play-in spot.  They are 2-8 in their last 10 games.  Thibs is in just his 2nd year of a 5 year contract and he's already past his shelf life in NY.

Fournier with a great game but, overall, it's looking like a good thing James Dolan is dumber than Wyc and Brad.  His numbers are all down.

Tatum 9-24 (37.5%), 3-13 (23.1%) from 3.  Second verse, same as the first.  Half his fgas are 3s, again, and he's shooting like shite from there, again.  He is now shooting 33.2% from 3 this year.  I thought the whole idea of the last offseason's workouts by Tatum and Drew Hanlon was for him to put on muscle so he could finish through contact better and get to the line more.  What a waste of effort when he launches from 3 half the time.  He was 4-4 from the line last night.  He's only averaging .6 more ftas/game this year over last.  Minimal improvement despite a lot of training.



The other J was 8-21 (38%) but was 5-13 from 3.  He's shooting 38.4% from 3 this season.  Quite a bit more efficient than his running mate.  Nevertheless, 13 of his 21 fgas were 3s.  45 of our total 89 fgas were 3s.  This NBA drives me crazy.




RWill with 15 and 8 in 29.  I can live with that.

'Crash' Nesmith got the start.  He went 0-5, all from 3, but I'm just as ok with that as I was last year.  He's a shooter, they'll drop.  Eventually.  He's played less than 1000 NBA minutes, he's still a baby.  He did get 7 rebounds because he's not afraid to stick his nose in there, and I do like that a lot.

The two real studs of this game for us, as far as I'm concerned, are not the Js.  It's Josh Richardson and Payton Pritchard.  When was the last time we could say our bench saved our butts?  

In my post about the GSW game I said that Pritchard looked like he didn't know what he was supposed to be out there, a shooter or a passer?  Forget I said any of that, he knew exactly what he was last night.  6-10 and 4-7 from 3.  He got 28 minutes, because Schroder's out, and made the most of them.  If everything we're thinking about Schroder comes true then we need this to be a more normal game for Payton.

Jay King @ByJayKing
yesterday
Ime Udoka said Payton Pritchard is obviously one of the Celtics’ best shooters. Said he has great confidence in Pritchard, that his limited role has just been due to a numbers crunch with Dennis Schroder as another smaller guard.




Richardson, though!  What a game, huh?  As some of us mourn the loss of a player who has played on 88 minutes this season so far let the rest of us enjoy the 555 minutes Josh has played this season for us.  He had 12 points on 4-5 shooting, 3-4 from 3 in the 4th.  He played all 12 minutes in the 4th.  He's shooting a career high 47.5% from the field, 40.5% from 3 and a career high 53% from 2.  He doesn't bitch about minutes or anything else.  We assumed Brad signed him to a 2nd year as part of making him more attractive in a package.  I'm not so sure anymore.  Brad might be looking at him as a keeper.  He sure as hell is playing like one.

Boston Celtics @celtics
yesterday
Josh Richardson: “I can make threes, I can do stuff like that. But I also get going by having the ball in my hands, being able to facilitate, dribble, move, and feel the game out. I’m getting comfortable, and it’s been for good for me.”




Quote of the Night
"Tatum and Brown are the two main guys, but you can’t overlook what a guy like Smart means to that team."
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau on the impact of Marcus Smart


Jayson Tatum, with a message:

Jayson Tatum @jaytatum0
yesterday
Chilllllll Brad!!

Sorry, Jayson, but one game does not a season make.  You need to show Brad this is both sustainable and reproducible against teams that aren't in freefall.

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401360269


Bob


.

For his last two teams, they tried to make Josh Richardson onto a catch and shoot guy. He is so much more than that. Those coaches failed. I know one of their names, not sure of the other one.

gyso wrote:For his last two teams, they tried to make Josh Richardson onto a catch and shoot guy.  He is so much more than that.  Those coaches failed.  I know one of their names, not sure of the other one.

gyso,

Doc Rivers and Rick Carlisle.


Bob


.

Good win against the Knicks.  It was the 483rd time we played them.

Jrich is making me rethink the notion that he is not a good scorer from deep.  Great game all around from him

Pritchard had a rare chance to play extended minutes and he did not disappoint.  We know that he can make shots.  But you cannot score the ball if your are riding the pine.  This is the main reason DS needs to go.  Schroder makes you a better team in the short run but that's fools gold.  We need Payton to play and get better.

Thibs was forced to play KW last night and I was actually happy that he was making shots.  Kemba may no longer be an everyday starter but he is still a guy that can get you buckets and help you win games.

The Celtics are like a  dummy with a revolving credit card.  They pay $100 and spend $100 but never pay down on the balance.

We gotta rise well above .500

bobheckler wrote:It got a little scary there in the 3rd (ok, maybe more than just 'a little') but all's well that ends well.  So instead of winning by the 15 points we were up after 3 we only won by half that much.  We won 3 out of 4 quarters, and that'll do it most of the time (as long as you don't lose that quarter by 17).


Jay King @ByJayKing
yesterday
Josh Richardson on what Ime Udoka did when he was livid during the third: “I don’t know how much he told you. I ain’t no snitch.” Richardson said Udoka lit into the Celtics. He said he later told Udoka, “That was good. We needed that.”

Jay King @ByJayKing
yesterday
Ime Udoka said he was “livid” at the way the Celtics were playing in the third quarter, but thought they had three great quarters of defense besides that.


Randle shot 6-19, 1-7 from 3.  While the expansion of his offense out to the arc was a requirement for his game he is one of the cleverest low post players in the league.  Every time he shoots a 3 a Tyrannosaurus Rex angel gets its wings, and becomes something nobody recognizes.

Kemba with the throwback game, making Thibs look like a fool.  Remember when the Knicks were in 5th place or so?  They are now in 12th, 2 games in the loss column out of the last play-in spot.  They are 2-8 in their last 10 games.  Thibs is in just his 2nd year of a 5 year contract and he's already past his shelf life in NY.

Fournier with a great game but, overall, it's looking like a good thing James Dolan is dumber than Wyc and Brad.  His numbers are all down.

Tatum 9-24 (37.5%), 3-13 (23.1%) from 3.  Second verse, same as the first.  Half his fgas are 3s, again, and he's shooting like shite from there, again.  He is now shooting 33.2% from 3 this year.  I thought the whole idea of the last offseason's workouts by Tatum and Drew Hanlon was for him to put on muscle so he could finish through contact better and get to the line more.  What a waste of effort when he launches from 3 half the time.  He was 4-4 from the line last night.  He's only averaging .6 more ftas/game this year over last.  Minimal improvement despite a lot of training.



The other J was 8-21 (38%) but was 5-13 from 3.  He's shooting 38.4% from 3 this season.  Quite a bit more efficient than his running mate.  Nevertheless, 13 of his 21 fgas were 3s.  45 of our total 89 fgas were 3s.  This NBA drives me crazy.




RWill with 15 and 8 in 29.  I can live with that.

'Crash' Nesmith got the start.  He went 0-5, all from 3, but I'm just as ok with that as I was last year.  He's a shooter, they'll drop.  Eventually.  He's played less than 1000 NBA minutes, he's still a baby.  He did get 7 rebounds because he's not afraid to stick his nose in there, and I do like that a lot.

The two real studs of this game for us, as far as I'm concerned, are not the Js.  It's Josh Richardson and Payton Pritchard.  When was the last time we could say our bench saved our butts?  

In my post about the GSW game I said that Pritchard looked like he didn't know what he was supposed to be out there, a shooter or a passer?  Forget I said any of that, he knew exactly what he was last night.  6-10 and 4-7 from 3.  He got 28 minutes, because Schroder's out, and made the most of them.  If everything we're thinking about Schroder comes true then we need this to be a more normal game for Payton.

Jay King @ByJayKing
yesterday
Ime Udoka said Payton Pritchard is obviously one of the Celtics’ best shooters. Said he has great confidence in Pritchard, that his limited role has just been due to a numbers crunch with Dennis Schroder as another smaller guard.




Richardson, though!  What a game, huh?  As some of us mourn the loss of a player who has played on 88 minutes this season so far let the rest of us enjoy the 555 minutes Josh has played this season for us.  He had 12 points on 4-5 shooting, 3-4 from 3 in the 4th.  He played all 12 minutes in the 4th.  He's shooting a career high 47.5% from the field, 40.5% from 3 and a career high 53% from 2.  He doesn't bitch about minutes or anything else.  We assumed Brad signed him to a 2nd year as part of making him more attractive in a package.  I'm not so sure anymore.  Brad might be looking at him as a keeper.  He sure as hell is playing like one.

Boston Celtics @celtics
yesterday
Josh Richardson: “I can make threes, I can do stuff like that. But I also get going by having the ball in my hands, being able to facilitate, dribble, move, and feel the game out. I’m getting comfortable, and it’s been for good for me.”




Quote of the Night
"Tatum and Brown are the two main guys, but you can’t overlook what a guy like Smart means to that team."
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau on the impact of Marcus Smart


Jayson Tatum, with a message:

Jayson Tatum @jaytatum0
yesterday
Chilllllll Brad!!

Sorry, Jayson, but one game does not a season make.  You need to show Brad this is both sustainable and reproducible against teams that aren't in freefall.

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401360269


Bob


.

Living with STARTER Nesmith going 0-5 from 3 and referring to him as “a shooter” is laughable. Well, not really. He did shoot. He just didn’t make any. Our shooter needs to be a shot maker! Isn’t that supposed to be his strength? Personally I’m not impressed with him crashing into people like a bumper car. We drafted him because he was “The best shooter in the draft”. How much time does he need to start hitting wide open 3’s? A better question is, how much time does the team have before he starts hitting wide open 3’s.

bobheckler wrote:

gyso wrote:For his last two teams, they tried to make Josh Richardson onto a catch and shoot guy.  He is so much more than that.  Those coaches failed.  I know one of their names, not sure of the other one.

gyso,

Doc Rivers and Rick Carlisle.


Bob


.

Nope. Rick Carlisle. Not Doc

ktron

We keep waiting for Nesmith to make shots. Maybe it is more mental than mechanics. I don't know but he is only getting 10.8 MPG of playing time. It is a tough situation because you have Langford and him competing for minutes and Langford is winning that battle and now you have Richardson starting to get comfortable.

Right now if an when Aaron gets into a game will be situational.

bobheckler wrote:

gyso wrote:For his last two teams, they tried to make Josh Richardson onto a catch and shoot guy.  He is so much more than that.  Those coaches failed.  I know one of their names, not sure of the other one.

gyso,

Doc Rivers and Rick Carlisle.


Bob


.

Right Mavs had an offense and still do where Luka controls the ball and everyone else stands at the 3 point line waiting for their turn

Ktron wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

gyso wrote:For his last two teams, they tried to make Josh Richardson onto a catch and shoot guy.  He is so much more than that.  Those coaches failed.  I know one of their names, not sure of the other one.

gyso,

Doc Rivers and Rick Carlisle.


Bob


.

Nope. Rick Carlisle. Not Doc

ktron,

Good catch. Brett Brown, not Doc.


Bob

.

dboss wrote:Good win against the Knicks.  It was the 483rd time we played them.

Jrich is making me rethink the notion that he is not a good scorer from deep.  Great game all around from him

Pritchard had a rare chance to play extended minutes and he did not disappoint.  We know that he can make shots.  But you cannot score the ball if your are riding the pine.  This is the main reason DS needs to go.  Schroder makes you a better team in the short run but that's fools gold.  We need Payton to play and get better.

Thibs was forced to play KW last night and I was actually happy that he was making shots.  Kemba may no longer be an everyday starter but he is still a guy that can get you buckets and help you win games.

The Celtics are like a  dummy with a revolving credit card.  They pay $100 and spend $100 but never pay down on the balance.

We gotta rise well above .500

While I like Schroder for everything he can do well that Smart cannot, both are not good/elite shooters, PP can be an elite 3 point threat. If he gets in a zone, he can hit 5-6 in a stretch. If we can’t resign Schroder, we might as well get something for him, even a draft pick if possible.

ktron,

Living with STARTER Nesmith going 0-5 from 3 and referring to him as “a shooter” is laughable. Well, not really. He did shoot. He just didn’t make any. Our shooter needs to be a shot maker! Isn’t that supposed to be his strength? Personally I’m not impressed with him crashing into people like a bumper car. We drafted him because he was “The best shooter in the draft”. How much time does he need to start hitting wide open 3’s? A better question is, how much time does the team have before he starts hitting wide open 3’s.
Ktron


First of all, I never said Nesmith should permanently start. Secondly, he has only played 939 minutes in his entire NBA career and only 270 so far this season. That's still fewer minutes than Pritchard played in his rookie season. It's too soon to start calling out his shot, in my opinion, because he hasn't had the chance to develop a game rhythm.


Bob


.

bobheckler wrote:ktron,

Living with STARTER Nesmith going 0-5 from 3 and referring to him as “a shooter” is laughable. Well, not really. He did shoot. He just didn’t make any. Our shooter needs to be a shot maker! Isn’t that supposed to be his strength? Personally I’m not impressed with him crashing into people like a bumper car. We drafted him because he was “The best shooter in the draft”. How much time does he need to start hitting wide open 3’s? A better question is, how much time does the team have before he starts hitting wide open 3’s.
Ktron


First of all, I never said Nesmith should permanently start.  Secondly, he has only played 939 minutes in his entire NBA career and only 270 so far this season.  That's still fewer minutes than Pritchard played in his rookie season.  It's too soon to start calling out his shot, in my opinion, because he hasn't had the chance to develop a game rhythm.


Bob


.

 Bob, I Agree. You did not say Nesmith should permanently start. I only emphasized that because he did start. So he's only played 939 minutes in his NBA career.  What minute mark do you have in mind before you decide whether he’s a success or a bust? I don't think at this point that he’s a bust but he’s played enough minutes to do better. the old adage “when your number is called” still holds true. Aaron has got to start making shots sooner than soon. He’s missing wide open shots.
Good coaches are not going to play anyone that needs more minutes to prove how good they are. Good coaches generally know what they have. If Aaron could help us win more games by playing more minutes, Brad and Ime would have or would be giving him those minutes. Evidently Aaron’s not earned those minutes.

Ktron wrote:

bobheckler wrote:ktron,

Living with STARTER Nesmith going 0-5 from 3 and referring to him as “a shooter” is laughable. Well, not really. He did shoot. He just didn’t make any. Our shooter needs to be a shot maker! Isn’t that supposed to be his strength? Personally I’m not impressed with him crashing into people like a bumper car. We drafted him because he was “The best shooter in the draft”. How much time does he need to start hitting wide open 3’s? A better question is, how much time does the team have before he starts hitting wide open 3’s.
Ktron


First of all, I never said Nesmith should permanently start.  Secondly, he has only played 939 minutes in his entire NBA career and only 270 so far this season.  That's still fewer minutes than Pritchard played in his rookie season.  It's too soon to start calling out his shot, in my opinion, because he hasn't had the chance to develop a game rhythm.


Bob


.

 Bob, I Agree. You did not say Nesmith should permanently start. I only emphasized that because he did start. So he's only played 939 minutes in his NBA career.  What minute mark do you have in mind before you decide whether he’s a success or a bust? I don't think at this point that he’s a bust but he’s played enough minutes to do better. the old adage “when your number is called” still holds true. Aaron has got to start making shots sooner than soon. He’s missing wide open shots.
Good coaches are not going to play anyone that needs more minutes to prove how good they are. Good coaches generally know what they have. If Aaron could help us win more games by playing more minutes, Brad and Ime would have or would be giving him those minutes. Evidently Aaron’s not earned those minutes.

ktron,

Sure, eventually he has to hit shots.  No, I have no specific number in mind but, as I noted, he has played fewer minutes career-to-date than Pritchard and Pritchard's having trouble getting minutes too this year too.  According to Ime that's because of the availability of veteran Dennis Schroder and has nothing to do with Pritchard or Ime's opinion of him.  Maybe the same is true of Nesmith and the availability of veteran Josh Richardson?  The truth is that neither of those players are higher than 3rd on the depth chart at their positions.


Bob


.

bobheckler wrote:

Ktron wrote:

bobheckler wrote:ktron,

Living with STARTER Nesmith going 0-5 from 3 and referring to him as “a shooter” is laughable. Well, not really. He did shoot. He just didn’t make any. Our shooter needs to be a shot maker! Isn’t that supposed to be his strength? Personally I’m not impressed with him crashing into people like a bumper car. We drafted him because he was “The best shooter in the draft”. How much time does he need to start hitting wide open 3’s? A better question is, how much time does the team have before he starts hitting wide open 3’s.
Ktron


First of all, I never said Nesmith should permanently start.  Secondly, he has only played 939 minutes in his entire NBA career and only 270 so far this season.  That's still fewer minutes than Pritchard played in his rookie season.  It's too soon to start calling out his shot, in my opinion, because he hasn't had the chance to develop a game rhythm.


Bob


.

 Bob, I Agree. You did not say Nesmith should permanently start. I only emphasized that because he did start. So he's only played 939 minutes in his NBA career.  What minute mark do you have in mind before you decide whether he’s a success or a bust? I don't think at this point that he’s a bust but he’s played enough minutes to do better. the old adage “when your number is called” still holds true. Aaron has got to start making shots sooner than soon. He’s missing wide open shots.
Good coaches are not going to play anyone that needs more minutes to prove how good they are. Good coaches generally know what they have. If Aaron could help us win more games by playing more minutes, Brad and Ime would have or would be giving him those minutes. Evidently Aaron’s not earned those minutes.

ktron,

Sure, eventually he has to hit shots.  No, I have no specific number in mind but, as I noted, he has played fewer minutes career-to-date than Pritchard and Pritchard's having trouble getting minutes too this year too.  According to Ime that's because of the availability of veteran Dennis Schroder and has nothing to do with Pritchard or Ime's opinion of him.  Maybe the same is true of Nesmith and the availability of veteran Josh Richardson?  The truth is that neither of those players are higher than 3rd on the depth chart at their positions.


Bob


.

I think young players who weren't high picks and are playing with all-stars have a hard time being reliable shooters. When will I play? What is my primary job? Where on the floor will I get my shots? When do I shoot? Can I score against these guys? When do I pass to one of those stars instead? Look at what happened with Carson Edwards. Look at how Langford still struggles to finish at the rim. I do think that Pritchard has an advantage in that he can shoot from the parking lot. But he still has been uncertain at times. I'm sure there have been low picks who were getting sporadic minutes but still able to come in and provide instant offense. But those guys are rare and they get consistent minutes pretty quickly.

dboss wrote:ktron

We keep waiting for Nesmith to make shots.  Maybe it is more mental than mechanics.  I don't know but he is only getting 10.8 MPG of playing time.  It  is a tough situation because you have Langford and him competing for minutes and Langford is winning that battle and now you have Richardson starting to get comfortable.  

Right now if an when Aaron gets into a game will be situational.

I guess that means he is third on the depth chart behind those 2 and there must be a good reason for it. Please Aaron Nesmith. Please prove me wrong.

bobheckler wrote:

Ktron wrote:

bobheckler wrote:ktron,

Living with STARTER Nesmith going 0-5 from 3 and referring to him as “a shooter” is laughable. Well, not really. He did shoot. He just didn’t make any. Our shooter needs to be a shot maker! Isn’t that supposed to be his strength? Personally I’m not impressed with him crashing into people like a bumper car. We drafted him because he was “The best shooter in the draft”. How much time does he need to start hitting wide open 3’s? A better question is, how much time does the team have before he starts hitting wide open 3’s.
Ktron


First of all, I never said Nesmith should permanently start.  Secondly, he has only played 939 minutes in his entire NBA career and only 270 so far this season.  That's still fewer minutes than Pritchard played in his rookie season.  It's too soon to start calling out his shot, in my opinion, because he hasn't had the chance to develop a game rhythm.


Bob


.

 Bob, I Agree. You did not say Nesmith should permanently start. I only emphasized that because he did start. So he's only played 939 minutes in his NBA career.  What minute mark do you have in mind before you decide whether he’s a success or a bust? I don't think at this point that he’s a bust but he’s played enough minutes to do better. the old adage “when your number is called” still holds true. Aaron has got to start making shots sooner than soon. He’s missing wide open shots.
Good coaches are not going to play anyone that needs more minutes to prove how good they are. Good coaches generally know what they have. If Aaron could help us win more games by playing more minutes, Brad and Ime would have or would be giving him those minutes. Evidently Aaron’s not earned those minutes.

ktron,

Sure, eventually he has to hit shots.  No, I have no specific number in mind but, as I noted, he has played fewer minutes career-to-date than Pritchard and Pritchard's having trouble getting minutes too this year too.  According to Ime that's because of the availability of veteran Dennis Schroder and has nothing to do with Pritchard or Ime's opinion of him.  Maybe the same is true of Nesmith and the availability of veteran Josh Richardson?  The truth is that neither of those players are higher than 3rd on the depth chart at their positions.


Bob


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Bob, I heard Ime say that and it makes sense. It’s imperative however for all of them to take advantage of when they do get their chance. Josh and PP hit shots last night. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see Nesmith climb up the depth chart.

bobheckler wrote:

Ktron wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

gyso wrote:For his last two teams, they tried to make Josh Richardson onto a catch and shoot guy.  He is so much more than that.  Those coaches failed.  I know one of their names, not sure of the other one.

gyso,

Doc Rivers and Rick Carlisle.


Bob


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Nope. Rick Carlisle. Not Doc

ktron,

Good catch.  Brett Brown, not Doc.


Bob

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. I hear a lot of players hate playing for Carlisle. Rondo calls him “MFing Carlisle. Portzingus and Luka didn’t care for his coaching and this goes as far back as his days in Detroit. Doesn’t appear that he coaches to a lot of players strength.

Ktron wrote:

dboss wrote:ktron

We keep waiting for Nesmith to make shots.  Maybe it is more mental than mechanics.  I don't know but he is only getting 10.8 MPG of playing time.  It  is a tough situation because you have Langford and him competing for minutes and Langford is winning that battle and now you have Richardson starting to get comfortable.  

Right now if an when Aaron gets into a game will be situational.

I guess that means he is third on the depth chart behind those 2 and there must be a good reason for it. Please Aaron Nesmith. Please prove me wrong.

He is clearly down on the depth chart.