A mix of analysis and observations in the midst of the Celtics' three-game winning streak
1. Kyrie Irving picks up where he left off defensively: The All-Star made his return to the floor on Monday night with a solid outing (17 points, two rebounds, six assists) before taking the fourth quarter off in the 115-93 blowout win. While he picked up some momentum in the second half with his jump shot to finish 8-of-16 from the field, it was evident that his defensive focus returned as well. The 26-year-old piled up a team-high three steals and added to his tally of charges taken (nine on the year), which is tied for the team-lead with Marcus Smart. While there has some minor dropoff on the defensive end for the C’s in the past few weeks, Irving continues to remain committed to the cause, drawing inspiration from his backcourt mate.
“It’s well documented that I watch Marcus Smart highlights,” he said Monday, “But defensively, I literally just sit at home and watch him slide his feet and be able to beat guys to spots and take charges. To be able to do that at 6-4 with a great build like that, I’m like, ‘Hey, I can do that too.’ I just try to beat guys to the spot as much as possible and just be in the right spots. He’s always in the right spots, so why wouldn’t you want to watch a guy like that? And Baynes is always in the right spots, so give credit to those guys’ instinct and their length and what they use to create defensive havoc.”
The Celtics remain a better defensive team with Irving on the floor, which is a stark contrast to his on/off splits last year. The fact that the pattern has sustained for nearly 40 games is encouraging.
2. Al Horford remains red hot since his return: The center was a perfect 6 of 6 from the field last night (he was falsely credited for a miss in the box score that should have gone to Smart) and continues to maximize his four six-minute stints in each half while showcasing the efficiency that made him an All-Star last year. Since returning from his eight-game absence, Horford is shooting 56 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range in the wake of 12 point outing on Monday. His rebounding numbers have also shot up since his return, an encouraging sign that the added rest and controlled minutes are turning him into a player that will be able to perform at a higher level for the rest of the 82-game grind.
3. Daniel Theis seems to be back on track: After rough performances against the Rockets and Grizzlies, there was some question about Theis’ standing in the rotation after Guerschon Yabusele came off the bench ahead of him in a couple of contests last week. However, strong performances against the Mavericks (eight points, 13 rebounds) and Nets (11 points, eight rebounds) have put him back in full command of the reserve center spot until Aron Baynes returns, even with Rob Williams back in action last night.
Baynes could be back on the floor as soon as the end of next week as his recovery from a broken hand progresses at a steady rate. However, the rush to get Baynes back quickly has diminished as Theis has started to play to his capabilities again. The most important element of his game for the C’s in the short term? Rebounding. Theis has snagged over 30 percent of available defensive boards in the last three games, a number that is nearly twice his season average. Adequately keeping the likes of Ed Davis and Kenneth Faried from dominating the offensive glass on Monday was pivotal for allowing this team to survive without Baynes. If Theis can keep it up, he’ll keep a chunk of minutes even when the big man returns.
4. A taste of super small ball: A little wrinkle we haven’t seen much of this year but is worth watching as everyone gets healthy: Marcus Morris playing the center spot against a couple of traditional bigs (Faried/Davis). We’ve only seen small glimpses of it this year but now that the C’s offense and ball movement is fully unlocked, it’s a unique look that should punish opponents that have slow-footed bigs from chasing a 40 percent 3-point shooter in Morris on the perimeter. I’d keep an eye on just how much Brad Stevens experiments with it in the weeks to come, particularly on nights when the opponent doesn’t have big men that are good offensive rebounders.
5. An impressive assist streak thanks to some unlikely sources: While the Celtics have put together three straight games with new season-highs in assists (37 on Monday night), the more encouraging part of that number may very well be the sources of those assists. The Celtics have had eight different players tally on average between 2.5 and six assists over those contests. Some of those names are the usual suspects (Irving, Smart, Horford) but the younger guard has been just as unselfish over this latest stretch. Terry Rozier (5.3 apg), Jaylen Brown (2.7 apg) and Jayson Tatum (2.7 apg) have all come close to doubling their usual assist averages during this stretch while showing some promising vision on plays like this.
Beautiful dish inside to Horford by Tatum! pic.twitter.com/tkXGNYmFAL
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 8, 2019
Beautiful dish inside to Horford by Tatum! pic.twitter.com/tkXGNYmFAL
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 8, 2019