Boston Celtics: Player grades from lousy Game 4 loss to Raptors

The Boston Celtics followed up their devastating loss to Toronto in game three with quite a lousy performance in game four, letting the Raptors even things out at 2-2.

An optimistic loss would not be the first words that come to mind when thinking back to Saturday’s game. However, when one peels back the layers to discover that the Boston Celtics only lost by seven, on one of their worst shooting nights this season, C’s fans may have more hope heading into game five.

It’s hard to imagine with less than 40 seconds left, the Cs somehow had the chance to cut the lead to two points. In a game with blowout vibes, it’s a testament to this team’s grit as they were in lockstep with the Toronto Raptors the entire game despite a horrendous shooting performance.

According to Cleaningtheglass.com, the Celtics’ game four three-point shooting percentage was in the second — yes second — percentile in overall efficiency from long range. They got their points (71 percent) from either the paint or the free-throw line as every bucket felt like a struggle.

That said, Boston struggled to convert once at the free-throw line.

Their misses from the line made up the scoring differential between the two teams. Not to mention Toronto’s 24 second-chance points, the Boston Celtics should have lost this game by a larger scoring margin.

With very few bright spots to an overall gloomy loss, let’s get to some player grades with the hopes of better shooting days in the future, with the future being game five.

Kemba Walker: C+

Kemba Walker has played to such a high standard this series, any regression to normalcy would seem like a huge step back.

That said, the point guard, much like the entire Boston Celtics squad, was just 1-6 from three and only took nine total shots on the night. While he finished with eight assists and knocked down 6-7 free throws in 40 minutes, Walker’s five fouls and inability to get his shot off hurt the Cs as the Raptors seemed to be blitzing him at times during the pick and roll action.

Walker was deliberately running the pick and roll when Marc Gasol was on the floor, yet failed to convert on many of them.

Prior to game four, Kemba Walker was possibly the best player in this series and, yes, that includes both sides of the floor. Look for him to silence the doubters and return to Cardiac Kemba state.

Jayson Tatum: B-

The Raptors gave the Boston Celtics different looks defensively in typical Toronto fashion, especially when Jayson Tatum had the ball in his hands.

In the first quarter, off the pick and roll, the Raptors blitzed him. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Raptors went with a box and one defense as Tatum finished the game with five turnovers and only three assists.

Tatum’s playmaking has been a big story of this series, but the Raptors zeroed in on this aspect of his game.

Despite getting to the rim at will and leading the Celtics with 24 points on 10-18 shooting and grabbing ten rebounds, the All-Star had tunnel vision on many of his drives, especially in transition.

He was also getting stuck on screens on defense and always seemed a step late guarding the Kyle Lowry three-pointer. Even though Tatum had a rough shooting night from three, going 1-6, his aggressiveness on his takes to the basket gave the Cs a chance down the stretch.

Jaylen Brown: C-

Jaylen Brown‘s rough shooting night was… well… rough.

Going 4-18 shooting on the night, it was his worst playoff shooting night since 2018, as his early foul trouble also kept him from playing super aggressive defense against Pascal Siakam down the stretch.

Throughout the playoffs, Brown has shown flashes of playmaking, but this was not the case last night as he failed to find a single assist during 37 minutes of play.

He has always demonstrated a thoughtfulness to his approach to the game and acknowledged his poor performance in his post-game interview. Brown’s self-awareness and ability to bounce back will be necessary as the shamrocks head into a pivotal game five.

Marcus Smart: C

As the third Celtic alongside Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum to also go 1-6 from three-point range, Marcus Smart has for sure cooled off since his game one and two shooting performances.

Some positives for Smart on the night were his eight rebounds and five assists. A few typical down the stretch hustle plays secured a three-point play even though it was too little too late.

While his hustle and grit always give this Celtics team an x-factor, Smart had five turnovers and four fouls, two of which were offensive.

When he makes his threes, Boston looks like an entirely different team as we may forget that he single-handedly led a game two comeback with his stellar long-range shooting.

In Brad Stevens’s pre-game speech, he quoted Marcus Smart and referenced his idea of staying in the moment.

For game five, look for Smart to be locked into that moment.

Daniel Theis: B-

Aside from his game three performance, Serge Ibaka has given the Boston Celtics fits off the bench, especially from beyond the arc as Daniel Theis‘s early exit from the first quarter was thought to be a strategic decision to neutralize Ibaka’s effectiveness.

This strategy didn’t pan out, and while Theis had a few good possessions not fouling off of Fred VanVleet switches and protecting the rim, he made a careless turnover down the stretch and missed two free throws.

He provided a few classic Daniel Thies seals and finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

Ibaka, who was the only player to give Robert Williams issues during games one and two, also torched Thies in the pick and pop as he was late to challenge Ibaka on three of his four three-pointers on the night.

The Celtics went with a more mobile Grant Williams down the stretch when Ibaka was playing. Theis provides value for this Celtics unit, however, in game five, he may be better suited only guarding Gasol.

Robert Williams: B

Robert Williams gave the Boston Celtics needed energy and necessary rim deterrence during his 15 minutes of play. He even connected on a short, mid-range jump shot, which is a great sign.

Sagging in a drop coverage scheme, Williams fell privy to the Lowry and VanVleet longball as he still seems a bit late on his perimeter closeouts. If the initial shot wasn’t there, the quick Raptors guards would attempt to isolate Williams as his on-ball defense still needs work moving forward.

Brad Stevens and the C’s coaching staff may be correct in Williams’s usage when Gasol is off the floor, but the Celtics desperately need to figure out how to stop the Ibaka pick and pop game.

Brad Wanamaker: B

Brad Wanamaker was more of a net-neutral than a net negative for the night.

He had an aggressive take to the basket, connected on a three-pointer, yet found himself victim to a horrendous three-point closeout foul on Norman Powell.

In game five, Wanamaker may have more of a defensive role chasing Kyle Lowry or Fred VanVleet, given that Tatum guarding Lowry did not bode well for the Celtics.

It was visible that Tatum was two steps late when chasing the Raptors guards off screens, as Wanamaker, being lower to the ground, could be a better suitor guarding Lowry.

Semi Ojeleye: B+

Semi Ojeleye came out firing, as early on he looked to be the sole Celtics offensive bright spot.

In just under seven first-half minutes, Ojeleye gave Boston seven points on 2-3 shooting, got to the line, and also notched in two rebounds and a steal. Ojeleye was almost credited with two steals as he had very active hands early on.

While he made the most of his first-half minutes, it was a tale of two quarters for the versatile stretch wing. A non-factor in the second half, he finished the game without committing a single foul, as this was overall a solid night for him in terms of on-court impact.

Perhaps Ojeleye could be the one to guard Serge Ibaka in game five, as he’s proven time after time capable of defending much taller players and has the footspeed to keep up with the Raptors’ deadly pick and pop game.

Grant Williams: B

Grant Williams wasn’t just playing spotty, end of quarter minutes during Sunday’s loss.

For him, as a rookie, to be getting significant time (almost nine second-half minutes) down the stretch as a small-ball center is a true testament to the impact he puts forth. Again, the Boston Celtics were searching for answers on how to stop Ibaka.

Williams wasn’t awful on the defensive side of the floor as he gave the Celtics more footspeed on the perimeter.

It will be interesting to see if the Celtics exclusively substitute in Williams or Ojeleye whenever Ibaka is on the floor. Known, at least for now, to fall victim to the referee’s whistle, Williams, to his credit, failed to commit a single foul during his 12 minutes of play.

He followed the play, hustled on the offensive glass, and converted on his two free throws as Williams may need to see more minutes if the Raptors shy away from playing as much Marc Gasol.

Again, the Williams vs. Ojeleye debate is still an interesting calculus, as they search for on-ball versatility at the five. I’d expect both players to get more time as Theis and Williams could see slight minute reductions as we move towards a pivotal game five.