Jaylen Brown's raised ceiling, too much Marcus Morris & other thoughts on Celtics-Bucks

Scattered thoughts and observations on four games of Celtics-Bucks as the series shifts back to Boston.

1. Jaylen Brown has found another level this postseason: The second-year guard had cracked the 30-point mark just once during the regular season. He has now done it twice in four postseason games, without the benefits of having two of his top teammates around him. His playoff splits of 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 51.4% FG and 46.4% 3PT on seven attempts per game have managed to keep the Celtics in the series amid their lackluster defense against the Bucks offensive attack.

The most encouraging part of Brown’s performance is his ability to pile it on when the stakes are raised. He has had a history of big first quarters or first halves all year long, but his offensive production had tended to fade in the second half of those contests. On Sunday, he was front and center with Jayson Tatum during the team’s 20-point second-half comeback, scoring 17 points in the final 18 minutes of the game.

While the Celtics have no one that can slow down Khris Middleton over the first four games, the same is true of Brown from a Bucks standpoint. His athleticism and speed are overwhelming to the Bucks' wings. They can’t get too close to him on the perimeter due to his ability to blow by them, and the cushion they are leaving him has allowed Brown to fill it up from beyond the arc. Factor in an impressively low turnover rate and some timely offensive rebounds and Brown has easily been the offensive MVP for this team through four games. They’ll need him to maintain his aggressiveness as this series shifts to Boston.

2. Marcus Morris is getting a little too shot happy, especially in isolation spots: This observation has nothing to do with the final play call yesterday. It’s more of a big picture problem right now for Brad Stevens. He doesn’t have appealing alternative options on his bench that are healthy, so Marcus Morris is going to play big minutes in this series no matter what. The problem is that he’s leading the team in usage (26 percent) through the first four games of the series. That’s the top mark on the roster out of the high-minute regulars. This is not a good thing.

Morris has made bad shots all year long, but he should not be the first option for the majority of the time when he’s on the floor. Middleton is a tough defender for him, while Jabari Parker has surprisingly shown some life on the defensive end over the past couple games. Both players made Morris look bad at times in Game 4. The Bucks know he is going up with the ball when he gets it, and they’ve defended him accordingly. Morris has dished out just two assists in 117 minutes of action, making his takes predictable and easy to stop from inside the arc. He’s shooting just 31 percent from 2-point range in this series as he dribbles into the length of the Bucks’ defense.

The alternative to this problem? Turn Morris into more of a spot-up shooter. It’s something I touched on a couple months ago as the veteran struggled during the first half of the year. Morris is still red-hot from 3-point range on kickouts (58.3 percent), but only 12 of his 53 shot attempts have come from deep. The C’s are better off taking more efficient shots anyway. They need to push his chances beyond the arc. He’ll keep the Bucks defense stretched out from there and do more damage with his jumpers.

3. Has Thon Maker taken Greg Monroe out of this series? I speculated about this possibility in my column following Game 3, but the seven-foot center proved his standout performance in that contest was more than a flash in the pan during Game 4. He tied his career-high with five blocks, hit three long jumpers and most importantly played 32 minutes at center for the Bucks. The C’s clearly respected his shooting on the perimeter, switching players onto him to contest any open looks, which stretched out the defense even more. Milwaukee took advantage of this on multiple occasions with drives to the rim for easy finishes, due to the lack of interior help close by.

Maker’s increased playing time has also left Brad Stevens in a tough spot with Greg Monroe. The Celtics could use his offense even though his 40 percent shooting and 21 percent turnover rate have been disappointing this series. However, whenever Maker is on the floor, the slow-footed Monroe is forced into vulnerable spots on the perimeter. The C’s can’t switch with him out there, and that fact caused Stevens to pull the plug on him early in Game 4 and turn to Semi Ojeleye instead.

Monroe is bound to get a shot again in the friendlier confines of the TD Garden of Game 5, but the leash will certainly be short. He has to find a way to punish Maker in the post or create with the pass if he’s going to be out there against him. Otherwise, his lack of ability on the defensive end will make it tough for Stevens to justify playing him.

4. The Celtics defense hasn’t been able to slow down the Bucks for four games: Two of the team’s better defenders are watching from the sidelines in Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis, and it’s pretty easy to tell when you look at the series numbers. The Bucks are shooting a playoff-best 54.2 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range. That’s two percentage points better than every other playoff team in the league, including the Pelicans who just cruised past the Blazers.

This type of production doesn’t come as a complete surprise. The Bucks have a formidable offense, with two All-Star caliber players in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. However, the C’s are lucky to be tied in this series while giving up that level of scoring. The C’s have yet to win a game this postseason with their defense.

Luckily, that may change with Smart's return on the horizon. Since the Bucks are stretching the floor with shooting everywhere, individual defense becomes far more important. Al Horford, Semi Ojeleye and Aron Baynes have done an admirable job on Giannis over the past couple games, but none of the C’s wings have had a chance against Middleton in most spots. Smart should give them another option on that front, since he can hold his own against Middleton postups and make him uncomfortable. That matchup should take some pressure off the rest of the C’s defense, which could open the door for some Milwaukee regression over the remainder of the series.