Boston Celtics blown out by Brooklyn in preseason finale

The Boston Celtics were blown out by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2020-21 preseason finale. What can be taken away from this game? Let’s check it out!

The Boston Celtics were beat down in their preseason finale, losing to the Brooklyn Nets by a score of 113-89. The Cs couldn’t hit an open shot to save their lives, resulting in an abysmal offensive performance from many of their best players.

Jayson Tatum finished the night with 19 points on 5-17 shooting to go along with nine rebounds.

Although the shots continued to not fall for Tatum and the Celtics, he got decent looks off the pick-and-roll and in isolation against smaller defenders. Without Kemba Walker, his shot selection has gotten considerably more difficult, although he still creates space.

He also drove to the rim and created fouls effectively, shooting eight free throws in only 26 minutes. There’s no need to worry about Tatum after 50 minutes of inefficient preseason basketball.

Jaylen Brown had a respectable offensive game for the Boston Celtics, scoring 16 points while shooting 7-15 from the field.

Like the rest of the team, he couldn’t hit a shot from outside, shooting 1-7 from long range, but he made up for it for his aggressive driving and court vision.

He’s become a more capable pick-and-roll ball handler, being able to hit the mid range as well as find the open man. On defense, however, he seemed to lack focus and agility.

Nets players such as Joe Harris repeatedly beat him on the first step, getting easy looks at the rim.

Marcus Smart led the charge in the Celtics’ poor shooting performance, going 3-11 from the field and 1-6 from downtown for seven points. Smart taking a good amount of shots is often criticized by C’s fans, as he has a negative reputation on the offensive side of the ball. However, he’s developed into a respectable shooter.

The majority of his shots Friday night were not bad shots but, rather, wide open. Sure, with every game Smart plays he will take a few isolation possessions that should never happen, but that’s what the Boston Celtics signed up for.

He looks great when the shots fall, and looks bad when they don’t — that’s basketball, folks. On the defensive end, he brought it as always, and that’s to be expected.

The “war on Theis” continues for Daniel Theis, as he still finds himself getting bad whistles blown against him even in the new NBA year.

He finished with five points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 22 minutes.

He looked a step slow on offense compared to last season, but still provided the defensive versatility that the Boston Celtics need from their starting center. He’ll never be a great finisher at the rim because of his lack of size, but he can still provide productive minutes for Boston in the upcoming season.

Robert Williams had an up and down preseason finale, struggling to hold onto the ball while having a better defensive performance. With three blocks, Williams is able to disrupt the ball handler’s jump shot in the pick-and-roll, but has trouble rotating in any more complicated actions.

On offense, he had difficulty catching entry passes, leading to four turnovers, yet still had a good game finishing around the rim.

Overall, Brad Stevens needs more productive and consistent play from Williams if he wants to be a consistent part of the rotation, as both Theis and Tristan Thompson are more established and reliable as of now.

Rookie Aaron Nesmith had an encouraging performance, scoring nine points and grabbing five rebounds in 20 minutes of action.

He provides shooting off the bench that Boston desperately needs, and hustles more on the offensive glass than almost anyone on the team. Sometimes, that is to his detriment, allowing easy fast breaks for the opposition, but it indicates his hustle and knack for winning.

As a team, the Boston Celtics shot 17.8 percent from deep and 34.8 percent from the field.

They also turned the ball over 22 times.

Any way you slice it, a team isn’t going to win with those types of numbers.

The shots will fall, and the handles will tighten for many of these players, but there’s no denying that the Celtics played terribly tonight as a team.

In comparison, the Brooklyn Nets looked to be clicking on offense right away, with superstars Kevin Durant and former-Celtic Kyrie Irving leading the way. They combined for 43 points on 16-31 shooting from the field, with Durant showing no indications of regression after tearing his Achilles more than a year ago.

As a team, the Nets shot 45.7 percent from deep.

It’s ok to acknowledge that the team played terribly on this particular night.

However, this does not mean that they are a terrible team — little should be thought of the preseason as a whole, especially in a shortened offseason.

If the shots don’t fall, teams often look bad, and the shots simply weren’t falling Friday night for the shamrocks.

Now, they look ahead to Milwaukee on Wednesday.