3 Studs, 3 duds from Celtics blowout 30-point win over Trae Young, Hawks

Following a successful two-game mini-series against the Charlotte Hornets, the Boston Celtics traveled further south for a date with the Atlanta Hawks. Jaylen Brown missed his second straight game, but it didn’t matter, because Jayson Tatum was ready to seamlessly fill the gaps.

Tatum exploded, especially in the first half of the game, and by the time the eight-minute mark in the fourth quarter came around, Jaden Springer and Baylor Scheierman were on the floor. Boston closed the game with a 123-93 victory over the Hawks, propelling them to 8-1 on the season. It was a dominant win for the Celtics in every aspect of the word.

Here are three studs and three duds from the Celtics’ win over the Hawks on Monday night.

Stud - Jayson Tatum

After a long stretch of games where he was ice-cold from three-point range, Tatum flipped the script in Atlanta on Monday night. He couldn’t miss.

In the first half alone, Tatum drained six triples, and his dominance extended far beyond the three-point line. He was securing and-ones, nabbing impressive steals, and drawing double-teams from Atlanta’s defense.

The Hawks had absolutely no answer for Tatum on Monday, and the result was shown in the box score. On a night when Brown was sidelined, Tatum stepped up in a big way.

Dud - Backup bigs (especially first quarter)

Just a few minutes into the game, Joe Mazzulla pulled Neemias Queta. Xavier Tillman stepped in, but he wasn’t much better. Before long, Luke Kornet was inserted into the game. But none of the bigs were particularly impressive.

All three of the Celtics’ second-string centers looked a step slow on the defensive end. Queta, in particular, was getting destroyed in the pick-and-roll.

To make matters worse, Tillman’s three-point confidence looks to be spiraling the drain, and Queta was incapable of finishing around the rim.

By the time the second half rolled around, Queta and Tillman were finding alternative ways of making an impact, but still, it was a less-than-ideal night for the Celtics’ centers not named Al Horford.

Stud - Jrue Holiday

At this point in his career, Jrue Holiday isn’t going to put up huge stats every night. And his stats against the Hawks weren’t otherworldly. But his impact was.

In the second quarter, when Tatum took his scheduled rest, the Celtics looked rough. There was no one to run the offense. So Holiday stepped up.

He was making plays on both ends, setting up his teammates, and getting involved in the scoring game, too. His threes came at important points in the night, and he was effective inside, too.

The veteran guard played a bigger role than normal on Monday, and the Celtics needed it.

Dud - Xavier Tillman

As previously mentioned, Tillman’s head is seemingly gone.

The guy who was calm, cool, and confident in the preseason has exited stage left and entered the guy who air-balled a three in the first quarter.

What’s worse is that his air-ball comes shortly after he record-scratched at the three-point line in a previous game, instead choosing to drive into a crowded painted area.

Tillman is a good player, but right now, he’s completely in his own head.

Stud - Derrick White

It was an odd night for Derrick White at times. There were a few uncharacteristically sloppy passes, as well as some weird fouls, but he was still his inevitably reliable self.

By the time the game came to a close, White had filled up the stat sheet, including a nice start to the fourth quarter that helped suck the final air out of Atlanta’s metaphorical tires.

White is inexplicably comfortable with the ball in his hands. There are few players around the league, let alone on the Celtics, who look more confident when they are handling the ball.

And it’s because he knows his spots. He knows when he’s going to shoot, when he’s going to pass, when he’s going to move off the ball, and when he’s going to get to the middle of the floor and nail his signature floater.

Dud - Trae Young

When the Celtics win in blowout fashion, it gets tough to pick three of their guys to pose as “duds.” So, instead of a third Celtics topic, let’s go with Trae Young.

For the first time in 70 games, Young failed to put up 10 points and five assists. He got the dimes, but he was lifeless in the scoring column.

Boston absolutely clamped the All-Star guard, shutting down a Hawks offense that ranked in the Top 10 heading into the game.