Throughout the beginning part of the season, the unselfishness of the Boston Celtics offense makes the task for the opposition an overwhelming one. Since the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign, the emphasis on building a balanced attack has been evident. Even though Jayson Tatum is having a career year, putting up numbers from all over the floor, the confidence this team has in one another makes the basketball that Joe Mazzulla’s team plays one to marvel over.
In the two seasons prior to Brad Stevens taking a step up to the front office, Boston finished in the bottom five in the NBA in assist percentage. The Celtics’ defense was consistently one of the best in the league, but Boston relied on a lot of one-on-one and individual ability to capture wins.
Stevens still led the Boston Celtics to a top-ten offense in the final two seasons of his reign, but it has been evident since Ime Udoka has taken over, the maturity of the roster led to an increased emphasis on spreading the ball.
A few weeks ago, Jaylen Brown spoke on what it has been like under Mazzulla’s system, stating:
"“The emphasis I think for me has been more off-ball…Setting screens, being a roller, playing off-ball, and sometimes it feels better to just get in a rhythm when the ball comes to you. You can be the one making the play, be the one creating for others helps you get going.”"
He continued, stating:
"“Just trying to find that balance, being aggressive and continuing to find different ways to be impactful in the game of basketball.”"
Brad Stevens laid the groundwork for the current Boston Celtics success
Only five players in Brad Stevens’ last two seasons managed to reach double-digit points in a season while Boston has had six or more since the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign. The more this core group of players has been around each other, the more confidence has been built within the team. Stevens laid the foundation for success during his time on the sideline, and what the NBA world is watching now is what happens when an organization believes in the pieces that they drafted from the beginning.
Boston is currently tied for ninth in total assists in the league, and during last season’s second-half surge, the Celtics still managed to reach the top ten in assists per 100 plays. In Boston’s last five contests, the team has accumulated 28 or more assists each time out with five different players collecting four or more assists in a convincing win over the surging Sacramento Kings at the TD Garden. Whether it’s the Boston Celtics’ superstar duo giving up a good shot for a great one or utilizing the spacing in the halfcourt to cut toward the basket for an easy two, the Cs simply have too many players that know trust often leads to long-term success.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s aggressiveness going to the bucket this season has opened up room for players like Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet to blend in, and find themselves in the position to connect on the offensive end. Watching Boston’s offense so far this season, it is clear, spacing on the perimeter has been an emphasis. Nearly everyone on the floor, knows that the movement off the ball is going to lead to success for each one of them on the floor. Whether it is Luke Kornet cutting into the middle of the paint to open the floor up on the outside or a forward setting a down screen for Pritchard to show off his skillset, Boston is doing all it can to make the defense pay attention to everyone on the floor, not just the All-Stars.
When the Celtics fail to spread the opposition’s defense in the halfcourt, the offense looks stagnated, and the ease of the shots Boston is putting up are far tougher than they should be. Of course, there are going to be times when Tatum exposes mismatches throughout a match, with the Kings giving the Boston Celtics a battle in the third quarter, it was the unselfishness of Tatum and Malcolm Brogdon to find two bench unit players to spark Boston to running away with the game.
It is quite easy when the roster has players from top to bottom that have the ability to create their own shot, and with the Celtics sitting atop the league in net rating, it is hard not to mention how mesmerizing it is to watch Boston play in the halfcourt offense. Tatum, Smart, and Grant Williams have all reached a career-high in the assist department this season with Brown right on the edge of putting up a new career-high. To have Smart among the top 10 assists per game leaders in the entire NBA is a step not many Boston fans saw coming this season. His creativity with the ball in his hands has always been something of notice, but the way he is taking care of the ball while finding his teammates in the right spots at the right times is telling those people once again why he was always the perfect fit to be the Boston Celtics point guard.
Stevens knew what he was getting from Joe Mazzulla when he promoted him to head coach, and while he still has a lot to learn, he is conducting one of the most well-oiled offenses this league has seen for quite some time. Sure, it is easy to collect assists when Boston has players like Hauser and Williams on the perimeter, but to be taking care of the ball like it is, and reading the defense to make the right play in front of them, Boston is simply on a whole different level on this end of the floor compared to where it was in June of 2022. To see a team make its opponent look this lost on the defensive side of things by using as many of its weapons as it can is a testament to both the growth of Boston’s core, and the roster construction coming from the top of the organization.