Offensive performance breakdown
Each of these breakdowns will cover the entire season, up until the current day.
Let’s start with offense:
The Boston Celtics, on paper, lack nothing when it comes to the offensive side of the ball. They have Kemba Walker, an All-NBA point guard, and rangy wings that can get it done and create for themselves. On top of that, Daniel Theis has proven to be very reliable in close range and has even shown the ability to stretch the floor when needed.
Combine all of that together, and you get one of the more dangerous offenses in the league.
Out of their five starters, all but Theis is averaging double figures, and even he sits close at 9.3 points per contest (NBA.com).
They have three players (Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker, and Jaylen Brown) averaging at least 20 points per game, and Gordon Hayward is close behind at 17.3.
Their sixth man, Marcus Smart, is averaging 13.5, too.
All in all, the team can get it done, and they have many options to do so.
Their weakness on offense, however, is their assisting.
As opposed to other teams, the Celtics’ top players are not ones that get it done without the ball, and they aren’t typically catch-and-shoot players. They need the ball to make something happen, which results in a lot of one-on-one play from the C’s.
Granted, it does work. Yet on nights when certain players are firing, or if they have nothing going for them, they don’t respond correctly. For example, Marcus Smart is infamous for taking heat-check threes early in possessions, which kills a whole rhythm.
If one player is having an off-night, they tend to become a smaller part of the offense instead of chipping in off the ball.
Most of the team’s plays include three players, Theis being one of them. The other two are typically on the wings or in the corners and are stuck watching the play that was drawn up.
Only if the play collapses is when the other two players have a shot at getting the ball.
What they’re doing seems to be working, however, and maybe the team will have a different dynamic once the NBA season proceeds.
Best Offensive Stat: Offensive rating – 112.3 (fourth in league).
Worst Offensive Stat: Assist percentage – 55.4 percent (25th in league).
Overall Offense Grade: B+