Tatum is fantastic. A superstar who is also a total class act and a great teammate. He’s everything you want in the face of a franchise.
Joe Mazzulla officially named head coach
- Thread starter Beale13
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Yup. Look - he isn't Giannis on the court, or Jokic, and he may never be the best player (or even top three) any given season. But boy---he is so well rounded, such a great approach, such a good teammate I am thrilled to have him. And he is still growing and developing so we can't rule out that he is even better on-court either.
I'm surprised nobody has brought up CJM's first curveball: the full-court press.
I'm a fan in small doses. I would also like them to try going small with Gabriel or Stevens at the 5 when pressing. With guys jumping passing lanes after the opponent breaks the midcourt.
Also would like them to experiment with the ZONE as another curveball.
I'm a fan in small doses. I would also like them to try going small with Gabriel or Stevens at the 5 when pressing. With guys jumping passing lanes after the opponent breaks the midcourt.
Also would like them to experiment with the ZONE as another curveball.
Yeah, it seems like a zone is something every team needs to have in its bag of tricks, if only for the occasional change of pace.
They showed zone on at least 1 possession that I remember from the last preseason game. I believe it was on the last possession of the half or a quarter.
Did they? More of it in small doses please
Combining a PRESS with a ZONE can also be effective.
The PRESS can burn clock to get the ball past the half-court. Then the offense needs to adjust to a ZONE with a shortened clock.
I'd argue his primary curveball has been the aggressive, unpredictable traps in the half-court. They've been breaking that out a ton, with all personnel, and they're good enough in rotation behind it to make teams really uncomfortable.
I think we'll see zone at some point, but the frequent traps have a similar effect, and might fit personnel better (while keeping teams more uncomfortable).
I'm pretty impressed overall with Joe in his 2nd year (although I was a fan most of last year, except when he nearly lost the team against Philly and Miami). He clearly has full buy-in now, which is the only way you can start experimenting with stuff in the first place.
The buy-in is key and after the IME stink bomb I doubt Joe had it last season from a lot of the players & ALL of the coaching staff.
The Jrue/KP additions with the increased White role/minutes are going to be huge enhancers relative to the talent (Smart, TL, MB, Grant) lost. It's going to take a lot of the pressure off the JAYs
Scal made the point in the Hornets game that when the second unit attacks early and relocates, it is most effective. If JM can get that second unit to play confident offense, with PP, Hauser, and/or Sri constantly on the move, he could have a bomb squad off the bench. One of the Jays, plus AL, and the court is going to be spread wide open. It would be nice to see Brown thrive with the second unit, like Tatum already does.m
I love idea of Brown being the primary scorer on that second unit---Tatum's game plays better with the other starters when Brown rests in that model, and Brown being a primary scorer and surrounded by shooting (to enable his driving game) is a really nice set up. It was more often Tatum with the second unit last year--interesting to switch that up. Brown's passing is the question in that setup, but we can try it out and see how it develops
One of the Jays plays with the second unit in the first half, and the other Jay plays with the second unit in the second half. Brown must add passing to his bag, and showed some signs of doing so this pre-season.
To the extent that has been tried in the past, it has been erratic at best.
So true. The result is the same, but I sense that it was just as much JM treading (too?) carefully and essentially not seeking the buy-in as much as the players not buying in.
Yes, Tatum is the guy who thrives with bench mobs. This is because he's already a pretty decent NBA point guard, and he's definitely a good PG against second units.
Agreed; and, enabling that would be big. Though certainly Tatum's ability to faciltiate is what makes him better at it today.
The defensive intensity was so bad last year, I think top to bottom they all just expected they’d step on the floor and party like it was January 2022 - April 2022 and when it didn’t just happen they had no gameplan.
They were still fine because of the talent but so far this preseason we’ve seen a different level of intensity. Really hope it sticks. There’s a “not fucking around anymore” feel to this roster.
They were still fine because of the talent but so far this preseason we’ve seen a different level of intensity. Really hope it sticks. There’s a “not fucking around anymore” feel to this roster.
If you're talking about the NYK game, I believe it was the Knicks who threw a zone at the Cs with like 40 seconds left in the half and the Cs taking ball out of bounds.
The Cs play a semi-zone up top anyways so it's hard to see if they are truly playing zone or just switching everything out top (typically the latter).
Seems to me that BOS should play one of Jays and KP with the second unit; second unit will be in drop coverage almost exclusively and KP is way better than that than Al.
Plus the second unit could use KP's ability to open up space.
This is absolutely true. I know that it's preseason and hype is high. But the team really gives a shit about its execution on defense. Honestly it has been a pleasure to see that they're barely even having to call out switches and remind each other verbally where they're supposed to be. Just plain execution. Fighting through screens, staying in front of their man.
The motor on the offensive side is high too. Less standing around and ball watching.
What HRB says about the coaching here is definitely a factor. Simply having a competent staff with a full offseason is seeming to raise the floor on both ends. And the personnel changes of course are significant. Smart, experienced players with an edge.
How would that work with Al as the 6th man? or do you think KP/Al start?
You're right KP is definitely a superior drop coverage Center. BUT I suspect Joe will rotate Al/Jrue in the starting lineup based on matchup
I think Tatum is the player to match with the 2nd unit bomb squad. I want Brown with Jrue/White. JB is an extremely high-level finisher, he needs to be partnered with several ball handlers. Brown initiating from the top doesn't need to be a thing with the amount of ball movement on this roster.
Good point. If JMazz wanted to work it out, he could (for example, have Al sub in for KP early so that Al can play with the starters and then bring JT and KP in with the bulk of the second unit minutes). But they may just try Al with the second unit to start to see if it can hold up.
Al, Tatum, White, Hauser, PP going against opposing 2nd units should dispel all that lacking depth malarkey
The whole depth problem isn't even a problem, really. Other than Boston, the other three main title contenders are Denver, Milwaukee and Phoenix - these are all top heavy teams with similar bench concerns. Boston's depth only looks weak compared to the 2023 Celtics, and there's really no getting around that. Hauser isn't (and won't be) as useful as Grant Williams, and Pritchard will never be as impactful as Malcolm Brogdon. Last year's team was incredibly deep, and Stevens swapped out some of that depth for a stronger top of the rotation.
Love this tone setting from CJM:
Yesterday in practice, Mazzulla met with the second and third units to review film and dive deeper into what went wrong in the fourth quarter against Washington. Hauser said the session proved particularly useful in instilling clarity among the reserves. In the postgame presser, Mazzulla was asked if he is able to relax when the game is far out of reach for the opposing team. The answer was a resounding no.
“That’s because there are five guys that are in the game that have worked their ass off to get to that spot, and the best thing I feel like I can do for them is coach them,” Mazzulla said. “That’s what they want, and they’re looking for that. I try to coach as if it’s the first quarter out of respect for the guys that are on the floor because of the work that they put in.”
https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/11/2/23943553/payton-pritchard-sam-hauser-boston-celtics-bench-dominates-4th-quarter-demolition-indiana-pacers
Yesterday in practice, Mazzulla met with the second and third units to review film and dive deeper into what went wrong in the fourth quarter against Washington. Hauser said the session proved particularly useful in instilling clarity among the reserves. In the postgame presser, Mazzulla was asked if he is able to relax when the game is far out of reach for the opposing team. The answer was a resounding no.
“That’s because there are five guys that are in the game that have worked their ass off to get to that spot, and the best thing I feel like I can do for them is coach them,” Mazzulla said. “That’s what they want, and they’re looking for that. I try to coach as if it’s the first quarter out of respect for the guys that are on the floor because of the work that they put in.”
https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/11/2/23943553/payton-pritchard-sam-hauser-boston-celtics-bench-dominates-4th-quarter-demolition-indiana-pacers
Say what you will about his timeout usage, Joe Mazzulla has gotten everyone to be saying (apparently sincerely) the right things about their usage and scoring on a team with this much talent.
https://theathletic.com/5056893/2023/11/13/celtics-kristaps-porzingis-wins/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983
It apparently wasn't this easy for Doc Rivers to get Ray Allen to buy into the same idea...
https://theathletic.com/5056893/2023/11/13/celtics-kristaps-porzingis-wins/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983
It apparently wasn't this easy for Doc Rivers to get Ray Allen to buy into the same idea...
Joe Mazzulla, civil rights pioneer:
View: https://twitter.com/jaredweissnba/status/1724264078942654974?s=46
View: https://twitter.com/jaredweissnba/status/1724264078942654974?s=46
Joe really broke out the fun zones for the first time tonight. They were playing a really flexible 2-3 or 2-1-2 where it looked like guys were supposed to swap positions in the zone depending on how the play unfolded. Lots of potential there.
They were also executing the base scheme really hard and well. The Knicks had to shoot out of their minds again (with a few complete garbage lucky shots in that) to almost hit 100.
They were also executing the base scheme really hard and well. The Knicks had to shoot out of their minds again (with a few complete garbage lucky shots in that) to almost hit 100.
Admittedly, I was wondering if Mazzulla was referring to that Hauser thing where his defensive team stats indicated that teams scored the least points per possession against him, and that Celtics analysts would be mad at him for saying so and tipping teams off.
Amusingly, that's where my mind initially went as well.
"What analytics secret sauce do they not want to reveal?
...
...ooooooh."
I wonder if Charles Lee had a hand in this. I remember the Bucks deep bench, led by Thanasis Antetokounmpo, really giving the Celtics fits at the end of a couple of blowouts.
I'm pretty sure that was a misquote by Jared Weiss, as everyone else is reporting that Mazzulla said "“I think he’s a much better defender (not player) than people think,” Mazzulla claimed. “I can’t say why or else I’ll get in trouble.” And I'm pretty sure this isn't about analytics. He apparently said it with smile, and a lot of people chuckled in response. I think what he was trying to imply was that a lot of NBA players underrate Hauser's defense because he's white.
Yes, context matters. It was pretty universal in the room that Joe was mocking the most widely used stereotype in the game at every level.
Are people happy with Joe's bench handling?
Seems pretty great so far: he made a concerted effort to coach them harder in blowouts, stuck with PP and Kornet through the shitty times, and now has them playing 9 deep and beating Philly without JB/KP.
Looks like Svi will jump higher in the rotation too. Joe likes shooting so much, and rightly so. Svyatoslav really keeps the floor open with his willingness to jack it any time.
Seems pretty great so far: he made a concerted effort to coach them harder in blowouts, stuck with PP and Kornet through the shitty times, and now has them playing 9 deep and beating Philly without JB/KP.
Looks like Svi will jump higher in the rotation too. Joe likes shooting so much, and rightly so. Svyatoslav really keeps the floor open with his willingness to jack it any time.
Definitely a long way to go, but I'm happy with the purposefulness with which the staff is using and developing it.
SSS of course, but seems to be killing it with the challenges this season. Overall, things seem to be going well for him.
Clearly a team philosophy that officials are overwhelmingly likely to overturn OOB calls, as opposed to fouls, so they always challenge those early and save the foul challenge for late (like the Maxey one, which was big).
A year under his belt and now having a support staff. This year must seem like a breeze to him.
Svi was the backup to Hauser last night, who got starter minutes. I don't think that's really any sign that he's moving up in the rotation.
Mildly concerned here. He's adequate for regular season use in his current role. As I said in the game thread, he seems to have beefed up a bit, which could be helpful. But he also seems a bit less quick, which is not helpful.
Yea the deep bench feels more "match-up" or "need" dependent.
We didn't see Brissett or Stevens last night probably because CJM probably needed a more offensive player like SviMyk with KP/JB out.
I thought Joe coached an outstanding game last night. Matching up Al with Embiid (and its inverse, of keeping Kornet away from Embiid), subbing well around the missing starters, and the dagger of a challenge late. I even felt like I saw some are zone wrinkles come out on D which I hadn't seen before from this team (I've only seen about half the games).
One of the national commentators (I can't recall if it was Doris or Beth) mentioned that one of the coaches (she was unclear, but context certainly implied it was was Mazz) spent a good deal of time during the half talking to the refs.
One of the national commentators (I can't recall if it was Doris or Beth) mentioned that one of the coaches (she was unclear, but context certainly implied it was was Mazz) spent a good deal of time during the half talking to the refs.