It’s Christmas time, and the Celtics have taken from beat writers an easy excuse to avoid the tedious prep work of hosting for the holidays, given us on the beat the gift of a few days off after their win over the Pacers. So, on this night before Christmas, all through the house, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse.
Christmas Day brings gifts for all the kiddos, but it’s also a gift for NBA fans as we head into the unofficial start of the season. At this point, teams have played about 30 games, or about 35% of their schedule, so we have a decent idea of who most teams are.
And since this is a time of year that jolly fat dudes with white beards make lists, I’m legally obligated to share my Celtics and NBA nice and naughty list.
NICE: Brad Stevens
Part of why the Celtics are so surprising is that his fringe guys have all helped the Celtics win games this season. Luka Garza has been huge in the last couple. Jordan Walsh has helped close out some games. Josh Minott had a stretch of impactful play. Baylor Scheierman has chipped in some really nice minutes. Hugo Gonzalez seems like the steal of the draft.
When all your “hey, let’s see what happens with this guy” players step in and make an impact, then you get what you want for Christmas.
NAUGHTY: Chris Boucher
Okay, not ALL of his guys have hit. The reason why the Celtics have gone to Minott, Walsh, and Gonzalez at the five in small-ball lineups is that Boucher hasn’t been able to anchor those. He’s supposed to be the guy in between Neemias Queta’s defense and Garza’s offense. He was supposed to be a guy who could hit some shots but also block some shots. He’s done neither and is out of the rotation. It’s not for lack of effort, but he just doesn’t have it anymore.
NICE: Hugo Gonzalez
I’m irrationally high on this kid. I think his floor is growing into the next Derrick White. That puts his ceiling …. Well, let’s just say somewhere above that. He has “it,” in my opinion. There's a spice to his game that has hooked me.
Have you ever said you’re craving a food and had some lunatic stranger come up to you, apologize for eavesdropping, and then go on a long thing about the one restaurant that has the best of that thing you mentioned? They’ll use words like life-changing and “I promise you won’t regret it.”
That's me with Gonzalez. And right now, I know I’ll be getting the “he’s good, but I’m not going out of my way to watch him” reaction, but I’m telling you, everyone is going to get it soon and you’d better become a regular at Chez Gonzalez or else you won’t be able to get a table.
Anyway, I love his feel for the game. I love his instincts. I love his attitude. He’s still only 19. He’s not Cooper Flagg, but he’s special.
NICE: Cooper Flagg
Since we’re here, did you see what he’s been doing lately? He dropped 33/9/9 last night to beat the Nuggets. After a slow start to the season, Flagg is averaging 24.1/6.2/4.5 in December and his field goal percentage has jumped 10 points since October. He’s shooting 50% overall and 35% from 3 over his last five games, and that's pushed him to 27.6 ppg. He’s also up to 7.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists over his last five. It’s a tantalizing preview of what he’s going to become.
And I’m told he’s from Maine, which makes his success more interesting to the local folks.
NAUGHTY: The Cleveland Cavaliers
They got Sam Merrill back and have won two in a row, which is nice. But also, if Sam Merrill is the missing link to your team’s success, you might not be that good.
The Cavs have slogged through injuries and poor play, and there are rumblings that Kenny Atkinson’s seat is getting warm. I don’t think they're as bad as they’ve shown this season, but I also think they're not as good as we thought heading into it.
NICE: Joe Mazzulla