Renowned for their stifling defense last season, the Celtics have yet to find the same solidity in their own half. Yet they have the best NBA record with 17 wins in 21 games, largely thanks to a simply historic attack.
A year ago, at the same time, the Celtics were one of the saddest teams in the NBA offensively, a finding symbolized by Marcus Smart’s inflammatory statement concerning the supposedly too personal side of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
What a difference a year makes as they say across the Atlantic.
We are now at the end of November 2022, and Boston simply has the best offense in the NBA. And not only this year, no, of all times! In any case, this is what the figures for this start to the season say, since according to StatMuse, the C’s offensive rating is currently 121.8 points per 100 possessions, a mark never reached in history. Number 2 on the list? The Brooklyn Nets of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving in 2020-21, who finished with 118.3 points per 100 possessions.
So certainly, as we can see in the ranking, the entire Top 10 concerning the most effective all-time attacks is composed exclusively of teams having evolved between 2019 and today, which represents perhaps the most great proof that we are currently in a league favoring the attack as much as possible. However, it does not take anything away from the Celtics who have really changed in size when it comes to putting the big orange ball in the basket.
Getting this type of ball movement from your bench unit ???? pic.twitter.com/C8sxaP8TyQ
— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) November 29, 2022
Much has been made of the progress of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown when it comes to getting others to play in addition to their big scoring skills, and arguably that’s one of the reasons for Boston’s ultra-positive evolution in offensive. But today we especially have the impression of seeing a team where everyone is on the same wavelength, from the franchise player to the guy at the end of the bench, and where each player knows what decision to make at what time. .
Boston’s ball movement is a marvel under Joe Mazzulla (the coach who replaced Ime Udoka), the ratio of assists to turnovers (27.3 assists for 12.7 turnovers) is the second highest in the entire NBA behind the Warriors, at 3-points it draws like never (16 .7 banderillas per game at 40.3% success, first in the League), and the offensive structure remains solid even when Mazzulla rotates. In this sense, the arrival in the offseason of Malcolm Brogdon – sixth man behind the solid backcourt duo Marcus Smart / Derrick White – is already a great success, while the very good progress of sniper Sam Hauser makes the attack even more unstoppable.
” It’s a delight. I think for every NBA player, whether you ask Marcus Smart, Tatum, Brown, anyone, it’s a treat to play on such a team. »
– Malcolm Brogdon, via NBC Sports Boston
All that, we had not necessarily seen it coming in the off-season, especially with the unexpected change of coach following the Ime Udoka affair. The Celtics were indeed renowned for their very strong defensive solidity, which has since left the spotlight on offense at the start of the season. And maybe that’s what’s the scariest thing in the end. With an offensive system so lethal and a defense that should logically regain its solidity (14th defensive efficiency at the time of these lines) with the return of pivot Robert Williams from injury, we say to ourselves that these Celtics could well become downright unplayable.
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Sources texte : StatMuse, NBC Sports Boston