Three Takeaways From The Celtics In Abu Dhabi
The Boston Celtics tipped off the preseason of the 2024-25 NBA season in Abu Dhabi this past weekend against MVP Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets. Boston is returning 13 of 15 players from their 2024 championship team and looked to pick up where they left off in June. The Celtics have three more preseason matchups to get tuned up before the regular season tips off on October 22nd.
Celtics' Offense Stays Hot
The Celtics in 2023-24 were an offensive juggernaut. With much of the same championship roster returning this upcoming season, there is no reason for head coach Joe Mazzulla not to lean even further into his offensive principles.
Boston is one of the best spacing teams in the league, able to spread five shooters along the three-point line to free up the center of the court. One might think that the Celtics simply try to spam as many three-point attempts as they possibly can in a game. There is a method behind the madness, however, centered around the ideologies of Mazzulla.
The Celtics are able to generate high-quality three-point looks because of this elite spacing. Coach Mazzulla always emphasizes shot quality to his team. He wants his players to take the open shot if it is available and not hesitate for a second whether or not to fire away.
The Celtics followed Mazzulla’s principles to a tee in Abu Dhabi. Never before had Boston attempted 60 three-pointers in a regular season or playoff game. On Friday, they launched 61 three-point shots and converted on 20 of those attempts. Boston followed that performance up by shooting 18-47 from deep on Sunday.
The three-point shot is such a dangerous weapon for Boston and was a big reason why their offense was so historic a year ago. The Celtics' top eight rotation players minus Jaylen Brown all shot at least 37.5% from deep (Brown shot 35.4% from three on six attempts per game). That is a scary amount of three-point shooting for opposing defenses to go up against.
The Hitch In Tatum's Jumper Is Gone
Jayson Tatum led his team in total points, rebounds, and assists on the Celtics run to an NBA title in June. In 22 games following the All-Star break, JT averaged 26.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, shooting 40.9% from deep and 46.1% overall. Questions still arose during the playoffs and summertime surrounding his jump-shooting.
While he still averaged 25 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game in the playoffs, Tatum’s three-point shot suffered. On 7.3 threes attempted per game, Tatum only hit 28% of those throughout the postseason.
Tatum and longtime trainer Drew Hanlen got back in the gym this summer and seemingly made some small tweaks to his jump shot. When bringing the ball up from his side to his shooting profile, a noticeable hitch in his shot had developed. This minor detail could result in JT not being able to get his shot off as quickly, or messing with the trajectory of the jump shot ever so slightly.
Tatum showed off his revamped jumper at the Celtics' first practice in Abu Dhabi. The hitch in his form that was there previously seems to have vanished. As a result, Tatum is able to catch and shoot much quicker than he had previously. Just a half-second difference in how long it takes for Tatum to shoot the ball could make a world of difference. There seems to be no hesitation in his shot, as he was letting it fly when given space in Abu Dhabi.
Tatum shot 6/14 from three (43%) in two preseason games in Abu Dhabi against the Denver Nuggets. His jumper without the hitch that plagued him before seems much more natural and free-flowing. Especially on catch-and-shoots and pull-up jumpers, it seemed like Tatum was getting into his shooting motion noticeably quicker than he had been previously.
Was there any serious concern about the 4x All-NBA performer? No. Every shooter goes through slumps, and Tatum does plenty to impact winning without the ball in his hands for that to matter in the slightest. Still, it is a welcome sight for Celtics fans to see him firing up shots with confidence and no hesitation.
Payton Pritchard Steals The Show
Payton Pritchard averaged 17.5 points per game across the Celtics two preseason games against the Nuggets. He looked to be in midseason form already as he knocked down 6/12 three-point attempts on Friday. Pritchard was the game’s leading scorer as he put up 21 points and 6 assists.
Pritchard saved his encore performance for the third quarter on Sunday. With the Celtics ahead by just 7 points at halftime, Pritchard rolled up his sleeves and got to work coming out of the break. He scored all 14 of his points in the third quarter alone.
Pritchard has emerged as one of the best bargain contracts in the NBA after he signed a 4-year deal before last season began. He is a hyper-efficient guard off the bench capable of knocking down shots from anywhere on the floor. Payton has also excelled with the ball in his hands, setting up his teammates for easy looks.
He played for about 22 minutes a night a season ago, putting up career highs in about every meaningful category. When Pritchard is given the opportunity to be on the court for big minutes, he has shown that he doesn’t shy away from the moment.
In the final two regular season games for Boston last season, Pritchard was able to showcase his full skillset as the Celtics already had the 1 seed locked up. Pritchard responded by scoring 69 points in those two remaining games, shooting 29/44 (66% from the field!).
Pritchard has shown that he can be a reliable rotation piece in the NBA as he has been a star in his role. Pritchard looks primed for another career year as the Celtics set their sights on repeating as champions. Jaylen Brown hinted that the team will lean more on players like he and Sam Hauser on certain nights during the regular season. It’s safe to say Pritchard will be ready when that time comes.
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