#1 – Payton Pritchard’s pick-and-roll game
Well, yes, Pritchard only made one bucket last night, but his offensive performance was still positive overall. While he couldn’t convert from three, his passing shone at TD Garden, especially in pick-and-roll situations.
In the play below, Neemias Queta’s screen brings two defenders to the ball. Pritchard patiently crosses his defenders while Queta runs to the rim and finds a passing lane above the defense to give the Portuguese big man an easy shot at the rim.
A little later, in a Spain pick-and-roll, he was again able to keep the ball alive long enough before finding Luka Garza in the paint. Anfernee Simons’ second screen created enough confusion, and Pritchard exploited it for another paint touch and another assist to a big man close to the rim.
His scoring gravity showed up well in this game, as the defense was more focused on stopping him with the ball, with multiple players drawn to him. On the next play, following a Garza screen, Jordan Walsh benefited from that gravity and spacing to cut to the rim for an easy dunk.
These few examples are encouraging heading into a season in which Pritchard will have a lot of offensive responsibilities.
#2 – Will Queta be the new Celtics defensive anchor?
One of the main question marks going into the season is Queta’s level on both ends of the floor. After Luke Kornet, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford’s departures, Queta appears to be the best interior defender and rim protector — which could be concerning.
Nonetheless, he showed last night some flashes of why he could have a breakthrough season next year. For most of the game, he was in drop coverage, protecting the paint while letting the on-ball defenders go over the screen.
In this coverage, Queta struggled last season, as it requires great defensive reads plus precise footwork and positioning. On this first example, he gets caught by Jakob Poeltl’s Gortat screen… but his unique combination of length and mobility is enough to block the shot at the rim!
This encapsulates quite well the question of what level he’ll reach next season. His basketball IQ and reflexes can sometimes be a bit wacky, but his body and eye-hand coordination can compensate. Plus, playing big minutes regularly will help him grow, and this could be a great development season for the Portuguese big man — even more so if he brings the same energy on offense.
#3 – Queta played his part on offense
What stood out about Queta’s game last night was the gap he created with his screening and how the Celtics exploited it. On this Jaylen Brown drive, the screen gave the 2024 Finals MVP a ton of space to work with.
In the second quarter, another high pick-and-roll with Queta stood out even more. His screen forced Poeltl to follow Simons on the ball. With the space he created, Queta rolled to the paint, recognized the collapsing defense, and found Josh Minott with a beautiful short-roll pass.
On top of his passing and screening, he was once again dominant on the offensive boards, grabbing five offensive rebounds.
#4 – Simons’ offensive struggles
One player still looking to find his groove on offense is Anfernee Simons. Against the very aggressive Toronto Raptors defense, the former Trail Blazer wasn’t able to find gaps and limited himself mostly to jump shots. Over 32 minutes, Simons generated only two shots from drives while taking 10 jumpers.
The Raptors quickly identified that Simons was struggling under pressure and made sure to put a body on him early in possessions. This resulted in six turnovers that could have cost the Celtics the game.
Simons’ on-ball game doesn’t seem strong enough at the moment to give him major ball-handling responsibilities, and the Celtics coaching staff will have to find more ways to leverage his off-ball skills.
#5 – Derrick White looking like an all-star
While Brown was forced to leave early and Simons struggled with the ball, Derrick White looked like an all-star: 33 points, six assists, four blocks, and two offensive boards. As always, a big overall impact without much waste. This drive — with the eurostep finish despite heavy ball pressure and multiple bodies in the paint — was the most impressive play of the game.
He seems ready for the regular season, and I wonder how often we’ll see him take 17 three-pointers like he did last night. Without Jayson Tatum, and when Jaylen Brown rests, we could see a lot of Derrick White offense — and I’m curious to see how it looks against real competition.
#6 – Double teams to protect the smaller guys
On defense, we’re seeing something new caused by the many departures from last season. This year, the Celtics will constantly have at least one potential mismatch on defense with Pritchard, Simons, or even Sam Hauser.
As the Raptors played tall, they were able to target some of the smaller Celtics, creating several double teams.
It worked out pretty well, as the Raptors are a poor shooting team. Nonetheless, this might not be as effective against stronger offenses later in the season. The Celtics’ defense isn’t as bulletproof as before, and it’ll be interesting to see how Joe Mazzulla and his staff protect the smaller players while still covering the three-point line and protecting the paint.
#7 – Turnovers and transition defense problems
The Raptors scored 26 points off Celtics turnovers, compared to only 13 for Boston, as both teams struggled to protect the ball. Without strong ball-handlers, the Celtics will need to find ways to protect the ball better and sprint back on defense with more urgency this season.
Last year, the Celtics were the second-best team at limiting turnovers and the best at limiting points per possession in transition. To keep that competitive edge, they’ll have to find new ways to value possessions and outrun opponents when they lose the ball.
Hugo Gonzalez’s box score wasn’t the most impressive last night, but the juice and intensity he brought on both ends were notable.
The Spaniard is showing great things on and off the court if we believe White’s postgame interview. The Celtics guard talked about the rookie’s willingness to work hard and learn — mentioning his constant questions and eagerness to grow.
Watching the young Spanish guard develop in the NBA after already playing at a high level in Europe will be fascinating. How long will it take for him to adapt to the speed and physicality of the league? Will he have a positive impact in his first season? We’ll find out soon enough.
#9 – Xavier Tillman, mister clutch
Docteur X waited for the last four minutes to score, but he was there to secure the win for the Celtics. In the fourth quarter, he played a little over nine minutes, scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds, and added an assist. His scoring down the stretch was exactly what was expected from him when the Celtics traded for him. First, a nice shooting touch from a pick-and-pop situation.
Then, from another pick-and-pop, he showed his ability to move with the ball — a valuable skill for a center in a five-out system. In a good spacing setup, Tillman drove to the rim to give the Celtics a 10-point lead.
And finally, in the chaos of the last minute, Baylor Scheierman found him after Josh Minott drew two defenders away, and Tillman delivered with a nice floater!
#10 – Will we see Jaylen Brown on opening night?
After only a few minutes, the Celtics had to play without their leader, who left the game due to hamstring tightness. The Celtics star didn’t return, and we’ll be looking forward to updates on his status for opening night next week against the 76ers at home.
