The Boston Celtics are still facing concerns about their offensive execution even as they stand on the verge of a 60-win campaign.
Bill Simmons, the creator of Ringer, revealed on the most recent episode of his own podcast that he believes Joe Mazzulla is stifling the team’s strongest player.
“One of the things that stood out about the New Orleans game is that they went through Porzingis,” Simmons stated. The group thought, “You know what? We ought to take care of the 7’3″ guy for whom they have no opponent. The other team freaks out when they play with Porzingis; I’m not sure if they’ve figured that out yet or are holding it for the postseason. With everyone gathered, it’s simple to stop Tatum and Brown from dribbling 25 feet from the basket because opposing teams will be cheering you on. On this squad, Porzingis is their go-to weapon in a pinch.”
Late in games, the Boston Celtics must rely on Kristaps Porzingis.
The Boston Celtics are incredibly predictable in the closing minutes of close games, which is exactly what Simmons taught. I’ve believed this for a while. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown throwing hotly contested shots is all that remains of any kind of ball movement or creativity.
Kristaps Porzingis is limited to the perimeter under the current plan, which makes him into a supercharged Rashard Lewis. Although his long range is useful, depending only on him as a deep danger underuses his skills. The most efficient play in the Celtics’ repertoire is to put him down on the low block or at the free throw line, which creates havoc.
The other four starters can all shoot or slash at a high level, which will probably result in a nice shot or a trip to the charity stripe if teams send a double. One of the safest bets in the NBA, Porzingis can post up or take his pattened free throw line jumper if they dare to abandon him on an island. It instills dread in opponents and applies pressure that is greater than that of the Jays playing hero ball.
I find it hard to believe that Joe Mazzulla will find all these solutions to solve the team’s late-game problems come postseason season. Representatives are crucial, and it’s unlikely that all these issues will go away during the season’s most crucial juncture. Any set that involves ball movement with these players should be impossible to stop, tape or not.
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Before the season concludes, the Celtics will probably have a few close games. These should be teaching moments for them on how to effectively close out teams. Just like a lot of their issues, it’s simple to resolve. There’s a huge, unicorn-sized billboard to remind them of a method to ease some of their troubles, but I’m not sure I want to think they suddenly figure it all out.
