After the game, Abby Chin asked Payton Pritchard if there was any takeaway from the loss. The Celtics guard told the media, “I don’t even know if there is a takeaway from this game. I think you just kind of turn the page. They just punked us, and you gotta get ready for the next one.”
Well, Payton, I have a few takeaways for you, if you allow me. But yes, the Rockets punked you — starting with the offensive glass.
#2 – Bullied by the bigger team
At first glance, the box score might suggest that the Celtics did a decent job rebounding the ball with 14 offensive boards. The Rockets grabbed only 12, so technically, the Celtics were better on the glass last night? Well, no.
The Rockets “only” had 12 offensive rebounds, but they missed just 35 shots. Meanwhile, the Celtics grabbed 14 offensive boards but missed 63 field-goal attempts. The box score numbers might look flattering at first, but the reality was quite different. Led by Steven Adams, the Rockets dominated the Celtics with more size and grit on the few possessions they actually missed a shot.
Per CleaningTheGlass.com, on half-court possessions only, the Rockets rebounded 57% of their misses — the highest mark for any team this season across the league. Of course, size is an issue, but the Celtics aren’t the only small team. This rebounding dilemma needs to be addressed if Boston wants a chance to compete — especially in games where opponents are on fire.
#3 – The Rockets launching from deep
Yes, the Celtics got bullied, but it’s also fair to say the Rockets got lucky. Josh Okogie went 3-for-5 from downtown, Reed Sheppard 4-for-5, Tari Eason 4-for-7, and even Amen Thompson hit a three.
Most of these three-pointers were open — not because the Celtics messed up, but because they chose to collapse the paint to slow down drives and post-ups, leaving Houston’s shooters open. The Rockets overachieved from deep, hitting 66% of their threes on 29 attempts.
Despite the shooting luck, that approach made sense — the Rockets don’t have many elite shooters. The bigger issue was that, even while protecting the rim, the Celtics still got dominated inside: 81% efficiency at the rim and 35 free throws allowed. So how did that happen?
I don’t have metrics to evaluate the Celtics’ willingness to run back in transition, so I’ll just share a few plays from a stretch in the second and third quarters where it felt like the Rockets simply decided to run a little harder. Some Celtics hustled back — others, not so much. I’ll let you make your own analysis with these clips from last night’s game.
And-one for Amen Thompson in transition:
And-one for Jabari Smith in transition:
A shooting foul on Alperen Sengun in transition:
The Celtics will sometimes be the underdog this season, like against the Rockets last night. And when that happens, they can’t afford to be outrun like this and expect a different outcome.
The Celtics quickly understood they wouldn’t have the spacing to beat Houston in the half-court. The numbers confirmed it: 1.27 points per possession for the Rockets in half-court play versus just 0.8 for Boston. The only way to close that gap — even a little — was through transition offense.
So, the Celtics were ultra-aggressive on the ball, trying to force the Rockets into tight spaces and rushed passes.
Baylor Scheierman also forced three offensive fouls to stop Houston, showing his basketball IQ and willingness to put his body on the line.
But once again, the Celtics’ transition spark came from their new number 8, Josh Minott.
#6 – Minott led by example
While most of the Celtics were outmuscled and outworked, Josh Minott led the way — showing his explosiveness and effort by jumping over bigger bodies for offensive rebounds. Between his steals and offensive boards, Minott generated five extra chances for Boston.
As mentioned above, the Celtics will need those extra possessions all season because the half-court creation and spacing from last year are gone. Boston’s ability to get to the rim in half-court situations might be among the league’s worst: 30th in rim frequency, 17th in rim efficiency, and 30th in free-throw rate.
The coaching staff clearly understood that. The Celtics went from 24th to 3rd in forced turnovers and 18th to 7th in offensive rebounds. Minott might be the player who best embodies this new identity. In this play again, as soon as he gets the defensive rebound, he runs and finds Chris Boucher cutting to the rim.
They talked about it all summer — the Celtics need to run. Minott is a runner, and the rest of the roster needs to follow.
#7 – Jaylen Brown’s half-court troubles
One of the players who could benefit most from better spacing is Jaylen Brown. The Rockets’ defense completely swallowed Boston’s spacing and forced Brown into poor decisions. Ime Udoka knows him well and crafted a defensive game plan that funneled him into tough possessions.
The goal was simple: once Brown got the ball, take away his spacing and force him to either drive into traffic or settle for contested pull-ups against long defenders like Jabari Smith Jr. or Kevin Durant.
It worked. Brown made only a couple of layups in half-court possessions but took seven pull-ups and made just one. On top of that, he didn’t draw a single free throw and committed five turnovers — half of the team’s total.
Defensively, too, Brown had lapses — forgetting to run back in transition or losing his man off-ball. Against a team like Houston, with Sengun orchestrating cuts from the post, off-ball awareness must be sharp.
Last night, the Rockets managed to bait Jaylen Brown into being the worst version of himself. Now it’s time for him — and the team — to turn the page before facing the Utah Jazz.
#8 – Boston trying the zone
Last year’s Playoffs showed that the Rockets could be bothered by a zone defense — especially the Golden State Warriors’ 2-3 tandem zone, like in the example below:
However, things are a bit different now. First, the Celtics don’t have the defensive masterminds of Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler to cause that kind of disruption. Boston’s zone structure last night was softer, and the Rockets repeatedly managed to get touches in the middle of the zone, collapsing the entire setup.
Also, the Rockets spacing is now way better with Kevin Durant. Plus, the young core, lead by Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr., aren’t afraid to pull-up from deep or the mid-range anymore.
#9 – Pritchard and White usage-increase impact
Derrick White is among the players with the biggest usage increase from last season to this year (+6.1% in usage rate per CleaningTheGlass.com). Pritchard isn’t far behind, with a +4% bump.
It’s normal to see a slight drop in efficiency with a higher load, but the decline for both has been dizzying.
- Derrick White’s points per attempt dropped from 1.21 (86th percentile among combos) to 0.84 (8th percentile).
- Payton Pritchard’s points per attempt fell from 1.28 (100th percentile among points) to 0.99 (17th percentile).
While poor shooting luck plays a part, there’s more to it. White hasn’t been able to generate the same quality looks with less spacing. His rim efficiency dropped from 71% to 42%, and from 56% to 25% in the floater zone. Shooting variance explains part of it, but those rim numbers point to a bigger problem.
As for Pritchard, the same combination of bad luck and expanded role applies. With more creation responsibility, he’s taking many more mid-range shots — three times as often as last season. It shows versatility but also hurts his efficiency. Still, he’s been solid from that area, which creates gravity and opens lanes for teammates.
Both are learning on the fly to handle bigger roles, and despite the rough start, there’s reason for optimism. However, defenses will adjust quickly, and that scouting report is coming. Last night, Houston’s elite defense held White to five points and Pritchard to 14.
#10 – The Celtics are at their best with Queta on the court
I don’t like to dive into minutes or lineup debates too early in the season, but the eye test suggests the Celtics look their best when Neemias Queta is on the floor — even though he’s averaging just 22 minutes per game.
The space he creates with his screens, his vertical threat, and his rim protection give this undersized team a real chance to compete.
The season is still young, but so far, the Celtics are outscoring opponents by 12.5 points per 100 possessions with Queta on the court (156 minutes, excluding garbage time). The defense in particular has been elite during those minutes. Of course, the sample is small, and part of that is due to the lack of a true backup center, but Queta’s situation will be worth tracking as the season unfolds.
