The Celtics’ playoff loss to the 76ers has many down on the roster, and given the embarrassing result, that’s understandable. But the more time passes, the more it seems like the problems stemmed more from the stars not playing their best and a poor coaching performance by Joe Mazzulla. The young role players were all up for the moment, but they just never got a real chance.
Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Jr., and Hugo Gonzalez were revelations this season, helping Boston force turnovers, offensive rebounds, get out in transition, and sometimes even more. Yet, when the playoffs began, Joe shortened his rotations and went away from his maximizing possessions strategy that thrived heavily on the backs of these young guys.
Now, looking at the last three teams standing, the Knicks and Spurs, who will meet in the Finals, and the Thunder, who went down in a hard-fought seven-game Western Conference Finals classic, Celtics fans should feel even better about their feisty young wings, and perhaps even worse about Mazzulla.
Celtics young wings held their own vs. Thunder, Spurs, Knicks
The playoffs obviously aren’t the regular season, but the Celtics played those three teams a total of eight times this season, and it’s fair to say that almost all of those games at least had a playoff feel to them. We can throw out the game against the Knicks in October, before most of these guys had earned playing time.
But the seven games after that all featured huge performances by at least one of these players. Going back to December, Boston beat the Knicks and got big minutes from each of Walsh and Hugo, who played great defense against Jalen Brunson, and combined for 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 stocks in a big Celtics win.
In a tight January loss to the Spurs in Boston, Hugo and Scheierman were two of only three Celtics who were a net positive. Baylor played 26 minutes off the bench and looked like one of the only players who was up for the moment, going 4-5 from the floor with two huge threes and two big steals.
Baylor, Hugo, Jordan, and Ron are ready for bigger roles
Baylor was also outstanding in the final two games against the Knicks and arguably had his best game of the season in the win over the Thunder. Harper Jr. broke out agains the Spurs for one of his best games, and gave strong minutes on the road in OKC and New York. Hugo and Jordan were in and out of the lineup over the final months, but proved their worth as defensive pests, especially.
It’s extremely encouraging that, against the best competition, in the most tense moments, the young, unproven Celtics wings were at their best. They looked like they belonged on the court among elite athletes playing with a heightened physicality and intensity.Â
It’s that much more infuriating that Joe gave up on those guys in the playoffs, but it’s a great sign going forward, and a reason that the Cs should lean into these guys even more going forward. They are a weapon and an advantage for Boston on their current contracts, and they need to be utilized as such.
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