#1 – Two underdogs with similarities
When the season started, rare were those who expected the Phoenix Suns and the Celtics to be competing for playoff spots in their respective conferences. The franchise from Arizona traded their superstar Kevin Durant and had to let Bradley Beal go to rebuild a team around Devin Booker and the new coach Jordan Ott.
In the meantime, the Celtics saw the departures of Luke Kornet and Al Horford, traded Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday for economic reasons, and started the season without their franchise
player, Jayson Tatum.
However, both of these teams were able to build strong teams and perform beyond expectations thanks to a few common strategic aspects. Phoenix, like Boston, increased its presence on the offensive glass and they both became among the best teams in that category. They also both increased their defensive pressure with more forced turnovers and, finally, they shot a lot of shots from beyond the line.
With these tactical tricks and the belief that the group could overachieve whatever the public might predict, these two teams are showing you can still be great after losing superstars. Now, time to deep dive into their matchup last night.
#2 – Derrick White as a leader
Jaylen Brown out, Payton Pritchard without rhythm, it was Derrick White’s turn to put the team on his back — and he did it, on both sides of the court. Yet, what is crazy about White as a leader is that he is doing it by making the team shine, with or without the ball. Offensively, most of his scoring came off the ball, as the team was setting screens all over the place to create chaos and play quickly in transition.
His ability to stay connected to the play and make rapid decisions to exploit any gap in the defense is what makes him one of the best connectors in the NBA. It’s simple and yet so important. After Nikola Vucevic screens for Payton Pritchard, he presents himself to offer a solution and be the connector between PP and Vooch so the big man can punish the mismatch.
Or here, when he receives the ball, quickly understands the defense made a mistake in their rotation, and finds Neemias Queta for the best shot possible.
On defense too, he always stays connected even when he looks a little late. On that play, you first think he is stuck in the screen, but he is able to use his timing, length, and hand-eye coordination to block the shot from behind.
22 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal… it doesn’t get better than that, and that’s exactly what the Celtics needed.
#3 – Harper the starter
Ron Harper Jr. not only started, but played 30 minutes of great Celtics basketball and proved he deserved every second he spent on the floor. His length and mobility are such important components of the Celtics’ defensive structure. He can defend larger dudes or smaller guards because of that body frame and his sense of the game.
He is also very active in the help, always ready to switch or trap the ball handler, leading to a lot of transition opportunities last night.
Offensively, he was well prepared to be present in the corner, to cut, and to keep the ball moving. Yet, his biggest added value came on the offensive glass with 4 rebounds and a lot of pressure on the defensive structure anytime a Celtic took a shot.
His energy and discipline would go a long way if he keeps that defensive intensity. Let’s hope the shooting will come and the Celtics could have a great 3-and-D player for the coming years. And he might not be the only one.
#4 – Baylor brings balance
Maybe it is the haircut, maybe it’s the vibe, or maybe it’s bigger than that, but Baylor Scheierman reminds me a lot of Luke Skywalker — and like Luke before him, he brings balance. While Jordan Walsh or Hugo Gonzalez remind me more of Jar Jar Binks with their crazy moves and high-intensity stretches, Baylor brings something far more stable, on both sides of the court.
On offense, he brings spacing while also being the best of the rest at navigating space with the ball. Like White, he is great at connecting the offense and making sure the gap created is exploited.
Similarly to Harper, he also brings a lot of juice on the glass and finished with another double-double with 11 rebounds last night. His defense isn’t as flashy as Walsh and Hugo’s, but it might be more impactful because he rarely makes mistakes. He reads the game so well that he anticipates the movement of the ball and his matchups.
As the season unfolds, it isn’t a surprise to see him getting this many minutes and becoming the fifth starter who brings balance to the team. But enough with Star Wars — now, let’s talk about play-calling!
#5 – Spain under the Sun
The Spain pick-and-roll has been a classic in basketball for a while now, but I remember when the Suns, with Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton, played it so well in 2021 they almost won a title that year.
Well, the Celtics made sure to pay their respects to the 2021 Suns and played it on their first half-court possession. This play was not only a tribute to the former Suns, but also a very smart way to punish Mark Williams’ low positioning and lack of mobility.
This play is really great against this defensive coverage because it will always create a gap in the defense. Here, the Suns try not to defend the pick too high and close out pretty well on Sam Hauser, but there is a continuity option in the corner and Walsh plays it very smartly (well played by Queta too, who made sure the rim remained open for Jordan).
What is pretty nice with that play too is that the defensive structure often collapses, which opens opportunities for offensive rebounds, and the Celtics made sure to capitalize on that.
#6 – Offensive rebounds surge
Per cleaningtheglass.com, the Celtics grabbed offensive rebounds on 51.5% of their half-court offensive possessions. That’s literally the best offensive glass performance of the season for Joe Mazzulla’s team. And it had a HUGE impact.
To give a bit of perspective, the Celtics shot only 40% from the field, while the Suns shot 36%. So theoretically, the game should have been close… but the Celtics had 16 more field-goal attempts!
It was a collective effort, not only Neemias Queta or Baylor Scheierman fighting for extra possessions. On the play above, Queta isn’t even below the rim, but still, there are three Celtics fighting for the offensive glass and getting it done.
#7 – 11 points allowed in the third
After a pretty close first half, the Celtics wanted to send a message and show that their elite defense is back. Straight out of the break, the Celtics displayed an impressive defensive possession where everyone is fighting through screens, guys are helping in the gaps, and Queta is protecting the paint from behind as a safety. It caused a contested shot after 24 seconds of possession, showing the Suns didn’t figure out the Celtics’ defense.
The Celtics bet on the Suns missing their three-pointers and dared them to shoot while making sure the paint stayed protected. The result speaks for itself, as the Suns shot 1-for-9 from beyond the line and scored only 11 points overall in 12 minutes. The willingness to defend was on full display with this impressive transition defense from Scheierman and Harper, concluded by a bucket from Hugo.
#8 – Double big experiment
The Celtics tried the double-big lineup with Vucevic and Queta… and it didn’t really work that time. I think the goal was to put even more pressure on the offensive glass while protecting the paint… but it also had a double negative effect.
First of all, on offense, the spacing shrank when the two big men were on the court, leading to far fewer driving lanes and weaker outside shooting to stretch the Suns’ defense.
On defense, the mobility and help defense decreased a lot with these two on the court at the same time. The Suns quickly understood it and involved their two matchups in screening actions. As both Queta and Vucevic were in drop coverage, the Celtics defenders had far less help and it created gaps in the defense.
Joe Mazzulla quickly put an end to that and went back to a more traditional way of using his big men for better spacing.
#9 – Centers as a hub
In the previous ten takeaways, we looked into the difference in offense with Queta and Vooch. Last night was a great example of how the Celtics can use them both in the same way: as offensive hubs.
Because Queta doesn’t shoot from three, the only way he can stretch defenders away from the paint is to have the ball in his hands. Because of that, Mark Williams is taken away from the rim and the Suns’ defense becomes weaker. It’s simple and yet very efficient.
These types of plays can be replicated with Vucevic as a hub because the former Bull is also pretty skilled with the ball in his hands and can pass from different angles.
Yes, both plays are pretty similar — and that’s the beauty of it. Different players, same play, same outcome.
#10 – Another quiet impactful night for Queta
Speaking of big men, Queta was very impactful last night, beyond the box score. His deep drop positioning really worked well against this team, and that was another impressive defensive night for the Celtics thanks to him. He was the player with the most contested shots last night, while also producing the most points thanks to screen assists.
The Portuguese big man keeps showing that he deserves that starting center spot for all the little things he brings that don’t always show up in raw stats but are definitely impactful for team performance.”
