One of the most exciting things about this Celtics team coming into the season was their incredible wing depth and the number of options for Joe Mazzulla. Obviously, the team’s two highest-paid and arguably best players are technically wings, Jayson Tatum and Paul George, but it’s the guys behind them who make things interesting.
But so far, it has been a tough task for Mazzulla to get everyone involved and into a rhythm because he simply has so many good options. The competition for minutes has been stiff, and nobody seems to have fully separated themself or fallen from the pack. The result has been inconsistent minutes and rotations.
That changed a bit on Tuesday night, however, in the biggest game of the season, on the road in Philadelphia. Joe employed all of his wings, and they each made a big impact in different ways.
Walsh, Hauser, Scheierman, and Hugo all made an impact
Jordan Walsh got the start and the initial assignment on Tyrese Maxey. He did a great job with hounding defense and keeping any of the Philly offensive stars from getting going, while adding 8 points and hitting a big three. He mustn’t hesitate when he’s open, and if the shots start falling consistently, with his defense and athleticism, he’ll be a real weapon.
Sam Hauser came off the bench and was making it rain all night. His off-ball movement is incredible; he’s always in the right place, and he never makes mistakes. He drilled 4-of-6 from behind the arc, including a few back-breakers and some big momentum shots. Philly was losing track of him all night, and he made them pay. Sam also played solid D, pulled down 5 rebounds, dished out 2 assists, and was +24 in just 17 minutes.
Baylor Scheierman did a little bit of everything. He was tracking Philly’s best players all over the court and making life tough with his defense. His switches and rotations were on point as well. On offense, he kept the ball moving, drove the lane when given the opportunity, and knocked down his only three-point attempt - a huge one when the Cs were pulling away in the second half.
And Hugo Gonzalez may have been the most impressive of all. His defense was unbelievable, flying all over the court, making steals, blocks, and deflections, sometimes on the same possession. It felt like he was everywhere, and his motor was on full display, guarding multiple guys, soaring in for rebounds, and affecting the game in various ways. He also scored 10 big points and buried two big threes, as he was a +17 in 19 minutes.
This was it. This was the vision. This was everything we hoped to see from this wing group coming into the season, and we finally saw it all in one game at the most critical time. It was possibly because Mazzulla went away from double-big lineups and Derrick White only saw 22 minutes (largely thanks to foul trouble). But it was great to see all four guys up to the task, and it has to make Joe think about using them all even more.
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