Celtics vs. Pacers – Player Grades
By Jeromy Smith
100. 101. 18. Final. 98
Boston Celtics. JARED SULLINGER. B+. A nice game from Jared as he continues his aggressive play, leading the team in shots and points while contributing five assists and six rebounds. The offense requires a willingness to shoot to be effective and Jared was not shy tonight despite playing against an imposing defender in Roy Hibbert. Jared added six rebounds and five of the Celtics 26 assists. Sully did miss four of five from 3-point territory to drop to 2-14 for the season.. PF/C
F. Boston Celtics. JEFF GREEN. B. Despite having his lowest scoring game of the young season, Jeff Green continued to contribute to the team’s success playing solid minutes and playing with focus and attention that has seemingly escaped him in the past. Green provided spacing by hitting three 3-point shots and led the team in rebounding with seven. Green continued to not look tentative in the offense – for the most part – which gives the young contributors confidence in the offensive flow because of the reduced stagnation. Nailing both FTs late certain was great to see too.
B-. I love his tenacity but when the shot isn’t falling and he continues shooting, that’s a difficult combination to swallow. Bradley struggled from the field tonight, missing eight of twelve and contributing a single assist.. G. Boston Celtics. AVERY BRADLEY
C+. Rajon with two steals, six assists, and four rebounds contributed in moments to the game while his 4-10 shooting night depressed his contribution a little (my concern being the volume). However, even up to his last reckless pass out of bounds before sitting for a long spell in the second half, there seemed to be moments where the offense slowed in periods it should not have, lacking the aggression to identify where to position shooters for good looks. I think the Celtics must focus on how to apply pace properly. When feeding Zeller in the first half, he looked great. Later, disinterest crept in and he was not able to shake it.. PG. Boston Celtics. RAJON RONDO
A-. Efficient shooting night for the big man as Kelly continued to be an intriguing talent. Despite facing an interior with both craftiness (Scola) and stature (Hibbert), Olynyk hit 5-7 and was in the mix all night. I wish he would have had more shots because I think he’s capable of handling the load and he had an defender that was more easily exploitable.. PF/C. Boston Celtics. KELLY OLYNYK
M. Come back soon, Marcus. I do not care if he was 1-6 (1-4 3-pt). He provided the play of the game with a big block but also the biggest heartache by injuring his ankle in the second half. I love watching the kid play.. G. Boston Celtics. MARCUS SMART
PF. Boston Celtics. BRANDON BASS. A-. Brandon made the most of his 20 minutes contributing 10/4/4 while hitting 3-4 from the field and 4-4 from the stripe. I really enjoy seeing Bass play well both because it provides Stevens with a deeper rotation to avoid burning out the young bigs but also gives a little showcase for a potential deal. I believe Bass could help a contender with a thin front-court. He does a lot of the little things right and tonight he added focus on defense (including the glass) and well as using his length properly on late inbound passes.
F. Boston Celtics. GERALD WALLACE. A. Old school was on it! He hit the FTs after Smart’s injury (47% last year) , played tough ball in eight minutes, and stole the final inbound pass, basically camping out where the pass was going to go before the play started. Just doing his thing. Let’s be frank – this may be his best shot at an ‘A’, so he gets it. He did get some pops from the crowd and it was fun to see a little o’ G.
B. The recipient of some interior passing got to the line six times (amazing) and provided more than a body inside, matching up aggressively in the post. He’s not a complete player but he does compete and to build an identify, much of that is needed. I like seeing some level of rim protection in to compliment the perimeter attention. He was elbowed near the eye, exiting the game, but I would expect some role stabilization in the coming days.. C. Boston Celtics. TYLER ZELLER
PHIL PRESSEY. B+. Phil provided a nice late-game spark to widen the lead before handing back over to Rondo with just under three minutes left. Pressey established a comfortable pace that had not been seen much that half and contributed good perimeter play with two steals and four assists.. PG. Boston Celtics