Simone's Six: The Wembanyama effect, Jaylen Brown's ejection, and Ron Harper Jr. ball in Celtics-Spurs

It was a clash of titans on Tuesday night. The Boston Celtics, riding the high of a Jayson Tatum return, versus the San Antonio Spurs, the hottest team in basketball.

Unfortunately for Boston, they ran into the NBA’s Cronus, Victor Wembanyama. His unfathomably large stature was quite literally too tall an obstacle for the Celtics to climb over, as they fell, 125-116, to the Spurs.

So, how did it all happen?

1. Wembanyama’s three-point party

Wembanyama shot 8-of-15 from beyond the three-point arc on Tuesday night, and that was by design.

It was the third time all year that Wembanyama attempted double-digit threes in a game, with 12 being his season-high mark prior to his showing against the Celtics.

Boston gave him space to shoot. They dropped back in coverage to keep Wembanyama out of the paint, and the big man made them pay. It may seem frustrating in the moment, but it was a mathematical decision.

Should the Celtics have let the 7-foot-4 guy blow by them and go to work in the paint? Should they have lived with more post-ups and interior work? Or should they have let the 35.0% three-point shooter take 15 shots from deep range?

A bit more in-depth analysis coming on that topic in another article.

2. The Jaylen Brown ejection

Basketball analysis is the most important thing. Describing what went into winning and losing the game. But sometimes, the guy not on the court is just as, if not more, important than the guys who are.

Jaylen Brown was ejected from Tuesday night’s game with 3:38 to go in the second quarter. Stephon Castle pushed him out of bounds, but no foul was called. Brown went berserk.

He ran toward referee Tyler Ford, turned away, and then looked back again. That’s when Ford assessed the first technical foul.

Moments later, Brown continued complaining, walked back toward Ford, with teammates holding him back, and referee Suyash Mehta gave him another tech. That was his night, done.

Before the half even ended, Brown took to social media to share his displeasure.

Did Brown accentuate the contact while falling out of bounds? Absolutely. Did Castle push him? Absolutely. Was it a foul? Absolutely. Was it a hard foul? No.

Perhaps Brown should have calmed down quicker, but he and Joe Mazzulla had been pretty upset with the officiating up to that point in the game. 

At the same time, if Ford was giving Brown some leeway, why did Mehta feel the need to step in and dish out another technical?

Mazzulla addressed that part of the problem in his post-game press conference with a very Mazzulla-esque metaphor.

Brown had eight points and seven assists in just 14:42 of action, but his night was cut short.

This was Ford's post-game explanation:

3. Ron Harper Jr. is real

If this season has made anything clear, it’s that the Celtics are elite when it comes to identifying and developing young talent. Baylor Scheierman is a valuable two-way player. Jordan Walsh is a defensive monster. Neemias Queta is one of the best paint protectors and rim-runners in the NBA. Rookie Hugo Gonzalez looks like one of the biggest steals of the 2025 NBA Draft.

They’ve found another guy with Ron Harper Jr.

Harper’s three-point performance will get the most buzz coming out of Tuesday night. He shot 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, finishing the night with 22 points. And he nailed some impressive threes over the outstretched arms of Wembanyama.

But that wasn’t all Harper accomplished on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-5 guard has a 7-foot-1 wingspan, and he put it to good use against the Spurs. He was able to contest shots, guard players much bigger than him, and even bother Wembanyama with his reach.

Late in the fourth quarter, after that (above) contest on Wembanyama, Harper nailed a transition three and then drew a foul on the giant Frenchman.

It was a massive momentum swing that almost got Boston back in the game. Tatum nailed a three right after, cutting the Spurs' lead down to five.

Having that sort of disruptor on the defensive end gives Boston’s defense a huge boost.

Harper was even able to put the ball on the floor a bit for the Celtics. And with Brown back in the locker room after being ejected, that was a welcome addition to Boston’s offense.

At one point, with the shot clock winding down, the ball found Harper’s hands. Without thinking, he put his head down, drove to the hoop, and threw up a lob to Neemias Queta.

Queta wasn’t able to finish the play, but he got fouled hard.

Harper is a quick thinker who can play both sides of the ball at a high level. That type of player is inevitably going to find ways to get onto the court for a team like the Celtics.

4. Jayson Tatum’s shot selection

This is a very nuanced topic. There’s a lot more that goes into it than ‘Take that shot’ and ‘Don’t take that shot.’

That said, Tatum took some pretty ill-advised threes on Tuesday against the Spurs, and it was the same story against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon.

It’s clear that Tatum is searching for a rhythm. He wants to get his legs back under him after returning from his Achilles injury. And historically, he’s found a ton of success coming off screens and pulling up from the wings.

But taking off-the-dribble threes with defenders in his face doesn’t seem conducive to finding his mojo from distance. Or finding it at all, for that matter.

However, there is inherent value in Tatum continuing to search for his shot from distance, because teams will keep trying to guard him there.

In the second half, the Spurs picked up their pressure, meaning they were right in Tatum’s face at the three-point line. They knew he had been taking shots from there, so they were ready for it.

So, Tatum used that to his advantage. He pump-faked a shot, drove, and got himself an easy bucket at the rim. Plays like that are a product of Tatum continuing to diversify his shot profile.

Boston found a couple of ways to get Tatum catch-and-shoot looks from beyond the arc, which is a much better way to get him in a rhythm.

And on top of all that, the underlying factor of Tuesday’s game, in particular, was that there was a 7-foot-4 monster sitting in the paint at all times. Or, he was waiting in the wings, ready to help over and contest paint shots. 

Driving inside against a guy like that is never easy. Stepping into a pull-up three might have been, in that specific scenario, a better shot.

Still, cutting out some of the contested pull-ups from long range could potentially help Tatum get into more of a groove.

5. Derrick White’s dominance

This was nothing short of an incredible performance from Derrick White.

The defense was there. It always is. Even though he only got credited for a single block, which was an impressive play against a driving Keldon Johnson, he was contesting shots all night long.

He helped double Wembanyama in the paint, cut off drivers, and got a couple of blocks and steals taken away from him because his teammates committed fouls.

But the offensive end? That was where White left his mark on Tuesday. 

White played well before Brown went down, but the third quarter was his Mona Lisa. He scored in every way imaginable, keeping Boston’s offense afloat when it needed it most.

The Celtics guard went right at Wembanyama. He scored on him in the paint not once, but twice. Right when it looked like White had no chance to score, he found a way to sneak the ball up and in over the most intimidating defensive figure the league has to offer.

He even drained a three right in Wembanyama’s face.

But perhaps the most impressive part of White’s game was his ability to get to the free-throw line. He ended the night 9-of-11 from the charity stripe and made a conscious effort to get there.

White knew that the Celtics needed points in any way they could get them, so he weaved his way inside the Spurs’ defense and found a way to draw fouls.

It was an incredible, all-around offensive outing.

6. Baylor Scheierman’s rebounding

Even if Scheierman does nothing else—if he misses every three, turns the ball over 10 times, and gets blown by on defense—he will always be on the glass.

Whenever Scheierman is on the floor, he makes it seem as though there isn’t a single person on the planet who wants to grab the rebound more than he does.

And that’s a very, very valuable asset to have on a basketball court.