Team USA defeated Brazil 89-73 on Monday in their final matchup of the second round in the FIBA World Cup. A closer look at the performances from the Celtics involved in the victory:
Jaylen Brown is showing off his passing chops: One of the more glaring weaknesses for the swingman during his first three NBA seasons has been passing. He’s fallen victim to tunnel vision at times, particularly in the paint when he tries to use his athleticism to finish in traffic instead of kicking out to an open man.
Under the tutelage of one of the best offensive minds in the game in Greg Popovich with Team USA, it’s been evident that Brown has made strides with his dishing. He posted four assists in Monday’s win over Brazil, which was just one short of his NBA career-high.
Popvich’s Spurs team have always been known for their unselfishness (at least before they traded for DeMar DeRozan). Popovich holds drills where you have to pass or shoot within a couple of seconds, essentially prioritizing ball movement to a degree where it becomes second nature. Adding that type of mentality to Brown’s game has the ability to bring him to the next level and he showcased plenty of that in today’s win while playing 26 minutes off the bench (second-most on the team).
The good news about Brown’s dishes is that they came a number of times when the 22-year-old was making a move to the basket with a head of steam. Watch how he calmly finds two teammates here for easy baskets.
Jaylen Brown with another great assist pic.twitter.com/5AHcS51rQX
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) September 9, 2019
Jaylen Brown the playmaker in transition pic.twitter.com/AgFi2E7Ovi
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) September 9, 2019
Brazil might want to cover Jaylen Brown pic.twitter.com/UhPkOCqN43
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) September 9, 2019
The evolution of the Hammer play. Pop runs a Hammer for Harris on the weakside but the play had a couple of options. No P&R tells me it was designed for Smart. Smart was able to turn the corner, weakside was all in on the Hammer action that allowed Smart to get an easy layup. pic.twitter.com/gD93GxPEYw
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) September 9, 2019
Marcus Smart with the buzzer beater to end third quarter pic.twitter.com/DI2hsp5J9y
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) September 9, 2019