The 2017/2018 Boston Celtics Regular season thread

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BaseballJones

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I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts on Jaylen. Where last year I thought he was trying to do too little (with the exception of the playoffs) I feel like now he's trying to do too much. He looked great in the first few games but he's handled the ball poorly and made bad decisions on offense at times. That said, he's such an incredible athlete that he is contributing otherwise.
I would suggest that some of that may be because of the injuries, and the departure of the guys that weren't brought back for this year. There's a lot of horsepower gone and maybe he feels like he's supposed to do more. Heck, maybe Stevens has TOLD him he wants him to try to do more.
 

gingerbreadmann

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I would suggest that some of that may be because of the injuries, and the departure of the guys that weren't brought back for this year. There's a lot of horsepower gone and maybe he feels like he's supposed to do more. Heck, maybe Stevens has TOLD him he wants him to try to do more.
Yes. He looks bad compared to Tatum, but we need to have patience. Their games and developmental curves are very different. I have complete faith that all the negative habits we observe in Brown have been duly noted in the minds of Stevens and Ainge, and they are giving him challenges they may not have if the team was fully healthy, but are confident will help both advance both him and the team in the long term.
 

BigSoxFan

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I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts on Jaylen. Where last year I thought he was trying to do too little (with the exception of the playoffs) I feel like now he's trying to do too much. He looked great in the first few games but he's handled the ball poorly and made bad decisions on offense at times. That said, he's such an incredible athlete that he is contributing otherwise.
I remain bullish longterm but we have to remember that he’s still barely 21 and has been forced into a role that he wasn’t quite ready for.

I’m quite pleased with where he’s at right now, particularly on defense. Steal rate is up and he’s now averaging over 7 Reb/G from the 2 guard spot.

Shooting can improve but hasn’t been that bad - 43% from field and 37% from downtown. Needs to get the FT shooting above 70% given his ability to get to the line. All of this is fixable.
 

Strike4

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I would suggest that some of that may be because of the injuries, and the departure of the guys that weren't brought back for this year. There's a lot of horsepower gone and maybe he feels like he's supposed to do more. Heck, maybe Stevens has TOLD him he wants him to try to do more.
I think the latter is the case, where last year JB probably had in mind that he was a rookie, he should learn and defer, but that this year he's been told that he's now a prime contributor and he shouldn't be afraid to step it up. He's probably been told things about leadership etc. so he's doing that thing too.

It's a work in progress, for sure, but he's doing fine all things considered. Seeing Tatum's meteoric rise probably makes it natural that we'd look at JB's more gradual growth as non-progress.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts on Jaylen. Where last year I thought he was trying to do too little (with the exception of the playoffs) I feel like now he's trying to do too much. He looked great in the first few games but he's handled the ball poorly and made bad decisions on offense at times. That said, he's such an incredible athlete that he is contributing otherwise.
The Cs are playing with house money right now. It's a good time to have JB be really aggressive and figure out what he can and cannot get away with in the NBA. Even if they lose a few games, his continued growth is the real point.

Which to some people looks a bit like Paul George. http://www.weei.com/articles/column/tomase-paul-george-should-be-making-celtics-fans-feel-better-about-jaylen-brown-too
 

DJnVa

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I don't want to head into playoffs on 80 game streak. We should drop one somewhere along the way.
 

Eddie Jurak

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I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts on Jaylen. Where last year I thought he was trying to do too little (with the exception of the playoffs) I feel like now he's trying to do too much. He looked great in the first few games but he's handled the ball poorly and made bad decisions on offense at times. That said, he's such an incredible athlete that he is contributing otherwise.
I don't think he has the skills or court awareness to be a franchise player. But with the size, athleticism, defensive versatility, and developing outside shot, he'll end up bringing a ton of value anyway.

Avery Bradley is a good player who, over the course of his career, really progressed in his outside shot, ability to finish at the rim, and other skills that he could add to his great on ball defense against PGs. But he was always limited by his height. Jaylen is ahead of Bradley at a similar age on the skills front and unlike Bradley he can play 3 positions and guard 4. But like Bradley, over time he can learn to finish at the rim.

Overall, I think you are looking at a player who is good in a limited role (ie, not a go-to guy you rely on for 20ppg and key buckets) today and will be very good at his peak.
 

BillMuellerFanClub

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Stumbled across this scouting report of Sugar Shane, and in light of his coming out party last night I figured I'd share.

Strengths: A winner. Tough nosed, confident, competitive PG with solid leadership abilities ... Quickness and leadership gives him a real chance to overcome size deficiencies ... In today's NBA game, being able to effectively run the pick and roll is crucial, and that's Larkin's greatest strength ... Shows nice quickness, quick reflexes and hand speed ... Very crafty, cerebral. Anticipates extremely well and always seems to be a step ahead of the competition ... Rebounds the ball especially well for a sub 6 foot guard ... Solid all around point guard skills showing the ability to find the open teammate as well as handle the ball against pressure ... Excellent handle ... A good shooter showing the ability to knock down the 3 ball with consistency. His shooting percentages (48% fg, 40% from 3, and above 80% ft over his college career) displays his highly efficent shooting ability ... A clutch performer and determined individual ... 2/1 assist to turnover ratio (4.6 to 2.3) is the mark of a quality floor general ... Plays with a fearlessness that makes him highly efficient ... Solid one on one ability with a quick first steps to get into the paint ... Utilizes a solid crossover as well as a step back move to free himself for jumpers along with drives into the paint ... Understands how to use screens to get free looks ... Catch and shoot ability is also good ... Shows the ability to utilize the floater, which will be important for him to polish ... High character guy with great background to make it in pro sports as the son of Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin ... Mind over matter. Shows a lot of will power to succeed ... Positive attitude. Team/clubhouse guy. Will find ways to contribute ...
I feel like there are a few players on the team that fit a lot of these same traits, and uncanny how quickly I'm comparing the aura of what they have going on right now to the Patriots. Minus the almost inconceivable amount of success, obviously. It's seriously a pleasure to get to watch this team play.

This team will never, ever lose. 96-2.
 

ishmael

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I don't think he has the skills or court awareness to be a franchise player. But with the size, athleticism, defensive versatility, and developing outside shot, he'll end up bringing a ton of value anyway.

Avery Bradley is a good player who, over the course of his career, really progressed in his outside shot, ability to finish at the rim, and other skills that he could add to his great on ball defense against PGs. But he was always limited by his height. Jaylen is ahead of Bradley at a similar age on the skills front and unlike Bradley he can play 3 positions and guard 4. But like Bradley, over time he can learn to finish at the rim.

Overall, I think you are looking at a player who is good in a limited role (ie, not a go-to guy you rely on for 20ppg and key buckets) today and will be very good at his peak.
My question with Jaylen has always been: can his bucket of skills (driving, high energy D, and a developing outside shot) put him in the category of all-star/third banana on a championship team?

He's got a long way to go, but at his peak (still 3-4 years out) I could see him contributing along the lines of some other third bananas on teams that won rings (Klay Thompson, Tyson Chandler, Lamar Odom, young Tony Parker, Pistons era Tayshaun Prince, etc.).
 

DourDoerr

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Rozier's inability to finish or facilitate makes that problematic, though.

I notice that on late quarter Smart the Celtics often try to run some kind of play late in the clock, so it isn't just Smart doing his thing.

We're not there yet, but I imagine most of these will eventually go to Tatum.
Rozier's a better shooter than Smart and he was able to make a 3 at the end of the half and at the end of the third today. Those 6 points came in handy at the end. I agree that Rozier isn't the best finisher, but he's a better option as a 3 point shooter and he can create his own shot. I especially like the pull up jumper off the drive if the 3 is closed off.
 

Cesar Crespo

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What do people think of Morris so far? SSS and all, but his rebound rate is at a career high and his 3 point % has returned to normal. He is shooting too many mid range jumpers for my liking but he is making them.
 

4 6 3 DP

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My question with Jaylen has always been: can his bucket of skills (driving, high energy D, and a developing outside shot) put him in the category of all-star/third banana on a championship team?

He's got a long way to go, but at his peak (still 3-4 years out) I could see him contributing along the lines of some other third bananas on teams that won rings (Klay Thompson, Tyson Chandler, Lamar Odom, young Tony Parker, Pistons era Tayshaun Prince, etc.).
The real question for him is obviously he's a really, really smart kid, but his basketball instincts to me are pretty poor right now. Right now he's just a really athletic, probably very coachable kid, who can put up numbers on sheer athletic ability. If he can translate his smarts to basketball feel, he's very valuable, elsewise he's someone who youd probably sell high if there was a franchise guy you could get (which I doubt there is).
 

Eddie Jurak

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What do people think of Morris so far? SSS and all, but his rebound rate is at a career high and his 3 point % has returned to normal. He is shooting too many mid range jumpers for my liking but he is making them.
I think he's good. Nice to have another guy with length on the floor. Has a nice offensive game, as opposed to being just a guy who can cut and shoot open threes. I think he's the latest in what will be a long line of veteran guys who find a new level of productivity playing for Brad.
 

Cesar Crespo

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I think he's good. Nice to have another guy with length on the floor. Has a nice offensive game, as opposed to being just a guy who can cut and shoot open threes. I think he's the latest in what will be a long line of veteran guys who find a new level of productivity playing for Brad.
He had a great game tonight. I'd like to see him on the 2nd unit more as I think his offense would be welcomed.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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The real question for him is obviously he's a really, really smart kid, but his basketball instincts to me are pretty poor right now. Right now he's just a really athletic, probably very coachable kid, who can put up numbers on sheer athletic ability. If he can translate his smarts to basketball feel, he's very valuable, elsewise he's someone who youd probably sell high if there was a franchise guy you could get (which I doubt there is).
His feel on the defensive end is already monumentally better than it was last season.
 

The Derek Lowe Face

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MaMo feels to me like what we hoped we were getting in Rasheed Wallace when he signed with the 2009-10 team. It’s worked out better with Morris so far. Sheed had completely lost his outside shot by the time he joined the Cs.
 

DannyDarwinism

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His feel on the defensive end is already monumentally better than it was last season.
I agree that he's made strides this year, but when you compare him to Tatum, it's clear his overall feel for team defense is still very much a work in progress. That's mostly due to Tatum's remarkable precociousness, but I don't know if Jaylen will ever have a great sense of space. He will, however, be a great man defender with loads of offensive tools to work with.

I'm really glad he has Tatum to work with. Even beyond their potential on-court chemistry, which is really exciting, I think they'll push each other to grow as players. I was watching them on the bench and during stops in play, and they'll always talking and laughing. Winning helps, I'm sure, but it seems Tatum's easy-going nature compliments Brown's personality well.
 

Devizier

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MaMo feels to me like what we hoped we were getting in Rasheed Wallace when he signed with the 2009-10 team. It’s worked out better with Morris so far. Sheed had completely lost his outside shot by the time he joined the Cs.
There are similarities in their game (and size) but the big difference is that Morris is 28 and 'Sheed was 35 when he played for the Celtics.
 

Philip Jeff Frye

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Haven’t had a chance to watch many games yet this season for various reasons, but it’s amazing how every time I look at the box score, it’s a totally different set of numbers in terms of who scored how many points.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Interesting compilation of numbers here: http://thecomeback.com/nba/boston-celtics-elite-defense-discipline-despite-roster-turnover.html. In terms of team performance, the summary is that the Cs are winning by playing elite defense, by not turning the ball over, by rebounding and getting to the line at a good clip.

A couple of the very interesting stats in the article. The Cs are 26th in pace this year (down from 13th). Most of the Cs guards have been really good at not turning the ball over, particularly Kyrie, and the Cs have only 14.5% of possessions end in a turnover, which is 4th in the league (note that Al, Tatum, and Smart have been in the lower third of their position in turnover %).

Pretty amazing. Rest of the article is worth a few minutes.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Interesting compilation of numbers here: http://thecomeback.com/nba/boston-celtics-elite-defense-discipline-despite-roster-turnover.html. In terms of team performance, the summary is that the Cs are winning by playing elite defense, by not turning the ball over, by rebounding and getting to the line at a good clip.

A couple of the very interesting stats in the article. The Cs are 26th in pace this year (down from 13th). Most of the Cs guards have been really good at not turning the ball over, particularly Kyrie, and the Cs have only 14.5% of possessions end in a turnover, which is 4th in the league (note that Al, Tatum, and Smart have been in the lower third of their position in turnover %).

Pretty amazing. Rest of the article is worth a few minutes.

Terry Rozier is 7th in the league in TO rate. He somehow never turns the ball over.
 

DJnVa

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A couple of the very interesting stats in the article. The Cs are 26th in pace this year (down from 13th).
This is interesting because if I recall one of the selling points to Hayward in the offseason was this team will play at a fast pace than Utah does, giving him more touches, etc. And yeah, the loss of Hayward means more minutes to younger guys, so that likely has played a part in the slower pace.
 

phenweigh

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What do people think of Morris so far? SSS and all, but his rebound rate is at a career high and his 3 point % has returned to normal. He is shooting too many mid range jumpers for my liking but he is making them.
Good, but not great, at everything makes him valuable. The Trot Nixon of basketball?
 

DJnVa

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Good, but not great, at everything makes him valuable. The Trot Nixon of basketball?
Holy crap, I just used "Trot Nixon" in another thread 5 minutes after you did but I swear I hadn't seen this.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I think he's good. Nice to have another guy with length on the floor. Has a nice offensive game, as opposed to being just a guy who can cut and shoot open threes. I think he's the latest in what will be a long line of veteran guys who find a new level of productivity playing for Brad.
Isn't MM the best offensive player Brad has coached over 6'23" (obviously ignoring GH for now)? That in itself is pretty amazing given how many wins the Cs have had in that time period.

Remember those halcyon days when Chris Johnson used to get run on this team?
 
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Spelunker

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Isn't MM the best offensive player Brad has coached over 6'2" (obviously ignoring GH for now)? That in itself is pretty amazing given how many wins the Cs have had in that time period.

Remember those halcyon days when Chris Johnson used to get run on this team?
Al might take offense at this.
 

DJnVa

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pdaj

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From Springfield to Providence

HomeRunBaker

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What do people think of Morris so far? SSS and all, but his rebound rate is at a career high and his 3 point % has returned to normal. He is shooting too many mid range jumpers for my liking but he is making them.
Morris is a pure mid-range mini-Melo type scorer. His RebRate is a reflection of not having Drummond grab everything off the glass to where there was little emphasis on rebounding when playing next to him. The kid is a big time scorer.....he knows how to put the ball in the basket and is lethal face-up iso.
 

Jimbodandy

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around the way
I’ve been vegan since 30 (7 years), and the health/fitness implications have been extensive for me. Really cool to see some of the best athletes in the world adopting the lifestyle and crushing typical misconceptions along the way. (“But dontchya need protein?”) Interested to see the results.
So...what's your deadlift PR?
 

lovegtm

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Kerr is whining that the last Kyrie foul wasn't a foul. Apparently he missed Draymond whacking Kyrie across the arm.

The Warriors can seriously go fuck themselves. Their bitching about fouls and overall sense of entitlement is really off-putting. They make LeBron look like Kawhi Leonard.

 

JCizzle

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Did he miss Horford having the easy two on the follow? I wish they DIDN'T call that...
 

ehaz

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BasedGod called this in early September. No wonder they beat Durant.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Kerr is whining that the last Kyrie foul wasn't a foul. Apparently he missed Draymond whacking Kyrie across the arm.

The Warriors can seriously go fuck themselves. Their bitching about fouls and overall sense of entitlement is really off-putting. They make LeBron look like Kawhi Leonard.

I understand the need to demonize the opposition but Kerr is a class act. He actually joked about being petty in calling that a non-foul. Otherwise, he paid the Celtics respect and gave them full credit for earning the win in that clip. Of course if you are referring to another quote, maybe I missed it.
 

E5 Yaz

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I understand the need to demonize the opposition but Kerr is a class act. He actually joked about being petty in calling that a non-foul. Otherwise, he paid the Celtics respect and gave them full credit for earning the win in that clip. Of course if you are referring to another quote, maybe I missed it.
You don't get it ... all other teams suck and their players are big poopyheads
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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You don't get it ... all other teams suck and their players are big poopyheads
Well of course they are. And as I said, I love demonizing the opposition as much or perhaps more than the next guy.

However I don't interpret what Kerr said as much more than mild case of half-hearted sour grapes.

p.s. When all else fails, blame Farrell!
 

Sprowl

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Well of course they are. And as I said, I love demonizing the opposition as much or perhaps more than the next guy.

However I don't interpret what Kerr said as much more than mild case of half-hearted sour grapes.

p.s. When all else fails, blame Farrell!
You don't have the Jaw to kick around any more, because, gentlemen, he's waited too long to go the bullpen his last time.

If I were Kerr, I'd be bellyaching about the 38-19 free throw disparity.
 

DourDoerr

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If I were Kerr, I'd be bellyaching about the 38-19 free throw disparity.
He did!

Great game. It was easy to see that the young C's were a bit awestruck at times and played tentatively early and got themselves in a huge hole twice. Stevens' commitment to defense - and the team's buy-in - kept their heads above water and allayed panic. If there was any doubt among the players about Stevens' bonafides and the validity of his system, this game should put that to rest.

Jaylen Brown was a 3rd quarter monster at both ends. Everyone who liked him as a draft pick might have had this as his ceiling, but who knew if anyone would ever get to see it? We did. Hope there's more to come.
 
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Eddie Jurak

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I understand the need to demonize the opposition but Kerr is a class act. He actually joked about being petty in calling that a non-foul. Otherwise, he paid the Celtics respect and gave them full credit for earning the win in that clip. Of course if you are referring to another quote, maybe I missed it.
Absolutely, the bolded.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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When scoring 96 points or fewer, NBA teams other than BOS are 14-89 (.136).

The Cs are 5-0.

When shooting less than 43%, NBA teams other than BOS are 32-105 (.234).

The Cs are 8-2.


 
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