You could see the pained look on Dennis Schröder’s face from the media seats in section 19.
With 2:14 left in overtime, he had Robert Williams on a roll for a lob. When I saw it, I made a slightly audible grunt, as I’m known to do when I anticipate a play or see something unfolding that should happen.
Schröder probably made the same sound, but he didn’t make the pass.
“I was scared that I’d turn it over again,” he explained after the game “I was hesitant.”
The turnovers, while problematic over the last two games (which he understands, by the way: “Too many turnovers again. Yesterday as well, or the day before. I’ve got to work on that.”), were basically the only flaw in a game the Celtics needed from him.
It’s just as well. He drilled the shot instead. And the one after that to finally put the game away against Milwaukee.
“I didn’t feel comfortable throwing that pass, and then just try to get to the next action,” he said. “Bobby Portis was on me, so coach said be aggressive, get to your stuff, and try to score.”
Without Jaylen Brown, opposing defenses are trying their best to stifle Jayson Tatum and take the ball out of his hands. On a night like tonight when Tatum might have, at some points, played a little too willingly into that, the Celtics needed someone to make the Bucks pay.
“I always talk to (Tatum) during the game, try to go to the basket and draw fouls,” Schröder said after the 122-113 overtime win. “I mean the league is not giving him no calls right now. That’s probably the reason why he’s shooting a lot. But he will get them. ... Of course me, I always try to be aggressive, putting pressure on the rim and then try to make a decision at the rim.”
The NBA is all about capitalizing on “A+” skill, that thing that separates players at the highest level. Schröder’s is his speed and ability to get to the rim. Sometimes he gets himself in trouble in those spots, and sometimes he sends you scrambling for the collective bargaining agreement to see if there’s any archaic terminology that can keep him in Boston long term.
“He’s been very aggressive,” Ime Udoka said. “We like some of the matchups he had early, he got going, but we continue to let those guys know a mismatch isn't always for yourself. We felt he was penetrating and making nice passes, and so he did a little bit of both. But then he got hot late, and we kind of rode his hand there.”
Schröder’s role is a bit elastic. It’s not that he’s doing something different as a starter or off the bench, it’s just a matter of who he’s doing it with. With the second unit, he can attack all day and feel comfortable that he’s not hijacking the offense; it’s his offense to run.
With the starters, he has to be a bit more accommodating. There was a point in this game where it felt like he might have been taking a few too many shots away from Tatum, but as Tatum settled for a few too many jumpers, it was clear that Schröder’s attacking was the better option. Reading those situations is still a little bit of a work in progress.
“It’s getting there. I think it’s getting better each game. Trying to get comfortable,” he said. “My teammates are doing a great job telling me just to go, don’t think about nothing, just play. Coaches as well, front office as well. I feel very confident right now, comfortable, and looking forward to whatever comes next.”
Brown will travel with the team on this upcoming road trip, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to play. Each night he’s out is another chance for Schröder to make an impact. On some nights, he’s going to get a little too loose with the ball or find a bad matchup.
On others, like this Friday night at the TD Garden, he’s going to earn MVP chants from the crowd while he takes free throws.
“Oh.. nah, nah,” he said of the chants when asked, blowing them off like he did Bucks defenders on the parquet. “I mean, that’s great, but for me, they don’t count. I need a win. That’s what we got tonight.”