Which Celtics gamers have made essentially the most progress through the workforce’s 7-7 begin? As Boston heads to Brooklyn on Tuesday for the primary recreation of a home-and-home with the Nets, right here’s a take a look at 4 who’re on the upswing — and two others shifting within the unsuitable route:
TRENDING UP
Derrick White and Payton Pritchard
The Celtics have gotten constant scoring this season from new main man Jaylen Brown, who ranks twelfth within the NBA in factors per recreation (27.4) and is on tempo for the most effective field-goal share of his profession (50.5%). It took Boston’s different two headliners a bit longer to catch up.
As lately as final week, White and Pritchard ranked near the bottom of the league in 3-point capturing share regardless of seeing a gradual weight loss program of open seems. Each had been taking part in effectively in different areas — White is the one participant with 20-plus steals and 15-plus blocks this season, and Pritchard has been extremely efficient contained in the arc — however their lack of perimeter manufacturing was dragging down the Celtics’ offense.
That lastly modified final week, when White and Pritchard mixed to shoot 54.0% from three (20-for-37) in wins over the Grizzlies and Clippers. Their enhancements helped Boston put up season-best 3-point capturing marks of 41.2% and 41.0% within the two victories, each of which featured greater than 120 Celtics factors.
“I really feel like me and him have each been backwards and forwards, like, who’s struggling extra?” White stated after the Memphis game. “So it’s good to see them knock down photographs while you get the seems that we’ve been getting.”
The C’s are 5-0 once they shoot higher than 36% from deep and 2-7 once they don’t.
Neemias Queta
Can Queta be a viable beginning middle? That was one of many greatest questions going through the Celtics after the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet this offseason.
The 7-footer hasn’t been flawless in his new function, and he can’t replicate Porzingis’ and Horford’s floor-stretching skill. However to this point, he’s been a constructive addition to Boston’s beginning 5.
Queta is averaging 9.3 factors, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per recreation. He boasts the NBA’s fourth-best defensive ranking, has been extremely efficient as a screener, and the Celtics have been a a lot, significantly better workforce with him on the ground than off it.
Boston’s internet ranking in Queta’s minutes is an eye-popping 32.4 factors higher than when he sits, per Cleansing the Glass. That’s the most effective mark of any NBA massive — and practically 10 full factors increased than second-place Nikola Jokic. Queta additionally entered Monday with the league’s Tenth-best total plus/minus (plus-126) regardless of taking part in on a .500 workforce; all 9 gamers forward of him had been members of the Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets or Knicks.
The Celtics have been outscored with Queta on the courtroom in simply three of their 14 video games, and by no means by greater than seven factors.
“He has quite a lot of potential to be nice,” Pritchard stated. “So we’d like him. We’d like his presence down low, his rebounding, his shot-blocking, and clearly, he exhibits flashes of doing issues offensively that might be actually nice for us. He’s a younger participant nonetheless, and he’s nonetheless rising, so we’re going to carry him to a excessive customary.”
Jordan Walsh
The hierarchy throughout the Celtics’ steady of younger, energetic, defensive-minded wings already has shuffled a number of instances this season. Rookie Hugo Gonzalez was on top for a spell. Then Josh Minott started nine consecutive games.
Not too long ago, Walsh has been the go-to man from that group, and he’s given Boston a few of the most spectacular minutes of his three-year profession.
After sitting as a DNP-CD in 4 of the Celtics’ first eight video games, Walsh has logged a minimum of 18 minutes in every of the final six contests, beginning the final two. Head coach Joe Mazzulla has tasked the 21-year-old with guarding the opponent’s high scoring menace, and Walsh has held up effectively in opposition to a various listing of assignments starting from level guards (Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey) to massive males (Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr.).
Walsh spent most of Sunday’s recreation matched up in opposition to James Harden, whose elite shot-making and foul-drawing introduced a novel problem. The 2018 NBA MVP dropped 37 factors, baited Walsh into 5 capturing fouls and practically willed the Clippers to a come-from-behind victory with 9 factors within the closing 22 seconds, however the Celtics nonetheless got here away impressed by Walsh’s defensive performance.
“I believed he was superb,” Mazzulla stated. “I believed he made some profitable performs all through your entire recreation, and that’s the function.”
In his six video games since breaking into the rotation, Walsh is a plus-74 with 40 rebounds, 10 steals and 6 blocks.
TRENDING DOWN
Sam Hauser
Seven video games in, Hauser was capturing a crisp 45.1% from 3-point vary on 7.3 makes an attempt per recreation. Mazzulla moved him out of the beginning lineup after two video games, however he was serving to to unfold out the Celtics’ scoring, giving their bench a much-needed knockdown shooter.
Since then, Hauser’s effectivity has cratered.
He’s made simply 5 of his final 34 3-point makes an attempt (14.7%) and is 1-for-6 on twos throughout that span (16.7%). He’s totaled 18 factors over his final seven appearances and hasn’t scored in double figures since Oct. 29. The seven minutes Hauser logged in Sunday’s win over the Clippers had been his fewest in a regular-season recreation since April 2023.
Hauser briefly appeared on Boston’s damage report final week with a proper wrist sprain, so there might be some health-related causes for his sudden decline.
Chris Boucher
After Boucher began all 4 preseason video games, it appeared just like the 32-year-old could be a minimum of a rotation staple in his first season with Boston, if not a constant starter. As a substitute, he’s hardly left the bench during the last two weeks, seeing simply 13 largely garbage-time minutes within the final six video games.
Boucher has recorded practically as many fouls this season (15) as rebounds (17, six of which got here within the fourth quarter of a blowout win over the Grizzlies), and he’s 1-for-12 from 3-point vary.
Fellow massive man Xavier Tillman additionally has fallen to the underside of the depth chart following a promising preseason. Tillman hasn’t seen recreation motion since Nov. 3.
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