With the first week of the 2019-20 NBA season in the books, it’s time to take a look at how things are going for the Celtics. So far, they’re sitting at 2-1, with wins against the Toronto Raptors, and the New York Knicks, and a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
I personally think there’s a lot to be excited about already.
The defense that everyone thought was going to be a liability has looked really solid. The Celtics have done a tremendous job at causing opponents to turn the ball over. So far this season they’ve forced 22 turnovers per game. This has been a big part of their early success, it makes up for their struggles on the glass.
A large part in the defensive success has been Grant Williams. Grant has been a pleasant surprise so far. I think everyone expected him to be more of a process rather than a instant impact. Well, the impact he has made so far is unmatched. It seems that every time he is on the floor, good things happen for Boston. Just take a look at the game against the Raptors where he pulled down 6 offensive rebounds. He was a driving force behind the run that sealed the game for the Celtics. He was no slouch Saturday against the Knicks either. Grant had 2 huge blocks, and once again was the anchor defensively. He brings a lot of the things that Al Horford used to bring before he departed for Philly. If you look at his stats, they don’t really stick out, but if you watch him play you can see the impact he makes.
Another thing that sticks out has been the difference in the way Gordon Hayward has played this season. Sure, last year he had some big games, but the way he produced in those games is completely different compared to how he’s approached things this season. When he’d go off last year, it was because he caught fire from deep and was raining threes. This year, his production is coming from his drives to the basket. On opening night, Hayward drove to the basket 18 times on his way to a 25 point performance.
Hayward has also done a great job at assuming whatever role is needed that night. I feel like that kind of thing is going to have to happen for everyone on the team, but so far Hayward has lead by example. Obviously he had a big game last Wednesday, but he has done just fine in smaller roles as well. His play hasn’t suffered due to a lack of shots or touches. When someone else is going off, it doesn’t effect his play if he has to take a back seat. Hayward’s efficiency has been solid throughout the three games so far. He’s been quiet at times but has yet to struggle.
Speaking of filling in roles, we’ve seen the scoring be spread out quite well so far. Aside from Gordon Hayward; Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kemba Walker have all been able to have solid contributions scoring wise. These four are all averaging over 16 points per game, with Tatum and Walker above 20 points per game. This is really how the team last year was supposed to work, but unfortunately, egos got in the way of sharing the wealth.
Jaylen Brown has been superb since getting into foul trouble on opening night. In the home opener against the Raptors he scored a team high 25 points, and was no slouch off the ball pulling in 9 rebounds. Brown played exceptional defense to help spark a late comeback effort against Toronto.
Jayson Tatum has scored a lot of points so far, but hasn’t been all that efficient. Tatum is shooting just 34% from the field this year. However, he isn’t doing bad from deep, shooting 45% for this young season. There are times where it seems like he’s forcing a bit, but it hasn’t really been disrupting the offense as far as morale goes. No one seems to have a problem with the shots he’s taking, and to be honest, they look like decent looks to me. I’m sure Tatum will straighten things out as the year goes on.
Kemba Walker had struggled a bit to start his Celtics career. He scored just 12 points in Philly for the opener and continued to struggle for the first half of the Toronto game. Fortunately for the Celtics, Kemba found his stride in the second half and he ignited the offense. He carried that performance over to the game in New York when he hung 32 on the Knicks.
This week the Celtics will be taking on the Bucks and then the Knicks again.
Thanks for reading!
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