Why The Celtics Are So Darn Good Right Now
BOSTON (CBS) -- You have likely heard by now that the Boston Celtics are once again a good basketball team. A really good basketball team. The same squad that was blowing leads and no-showing against the worst teams in the league over the opening months of the season have gone on an absolute tear since 2022 arrived.
Most Boston fans were convinced weeks ago that this flip-flop was pretty legit. The rest of the country is starting to follow suit after Thursday night's convincing win over Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies, arguably the third-best team in the NBA. The Celtics won despite being down Jaylen Brown, their second-best player behind Jayson Tatum.
It was Boston's ninth straight win over a playoff team, and the team's 13th in the last 15 contests. Beating Memphis, rather handily at that, gives the Celtics the signature win that most pundits said they lacked during their recent run. They'll get a chance to add another Sunday afternoon when Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets come to town.
What has fueled this 2022 turnaround? It's mostly been their dominating defense. The defense has been pretty good all season, but it has gone to new heights as of late. That has finally started leading to an uptick in offense, as the Celtics are playing incredible complementary basketball as a cohesive unit.
In turn, the Celtics continue to be on an island all of their own on Kirk Goldsberry's weekly Efficiency Landscape graphs. It would be lonely there if it weren't so damn impressive.
The Celtics have not won anything yet. Heck, they are still only the five-seed in a crowded Eastern Conference, which wouldn't even earn them home-court advantage for a single playoff series. It's taken their incredible turnaround just to get there after months of inefficient play and frustrating losses.
But here is everything that has spurred this ridiculously good -- and entertaining -- stretch of basketball from the Boston Celtics.
That Defense
Goodness gracious, that defense. Boston's switching scheme is a glorious ballet of protection, and the C's (105.4) are a mere percentage point behind the Warriors (105.3) for the best defensive rating in the NBA.
The Celtics had the best defensive rating in February at 101.4, which led to a 9-2 record for the month and earned Ime Udoka NBA Coach of the Month honors. Since January 1, Boston's 102.7 defensive rating is also the best in the NBA, well ahead of Dallas' 106.3 rating.
They've become absolute bullies in the paint too, with opponents scoring only 41 points in the paint per game since the new year. That also leads the NBA. Thursday night was a great example of Boston's stout defense down low, as Morant became a jump-shooting volume scorer (with 38 points off 13-for-29 points) rather than his usually efficient slashing superstar self.
Robert Williams III and Al Horford have been filthy on the defensive side, with Horford providing a calming veteran presence on that end of the floor. The Celtics defense had its worst night in a long time last week when the Pacers scored 128 against them, an evening that Horford was given off.
It remains to be seen if this absurd defense will continue in the playoffs when the Celtics will see a quality opponent every night, and that opponent will have time to game plan exclusively on them and their system. But if it does, a deep playoff run should be in the cards for these Boston Celtics.
Tatum's Rise
Shooting-wise, Tatum is not having a particularly great season. That played a part in the team's poor start, and a rather large one at that. The now 24-year-old has improved his shooting and efficiency as of late, but it's going to take a lot of work to get back to his usual numbers for the season.
Everywhere else though, Tatum has been excellent. He's attacking the rim with authority lately, and when he is met with a wall of defense, he's kicking it out rather than forcing a shot. Double teams have meant very little against him as well, because he's passing out and finding the open guy. He's averaging an assist more per game over the last two months than he was over the first two months of the season. It helps that his teammates are making shots, but a lot of that has to do with the open looks they're getting thanks to No. 0.
Tatum is also a pretty underrated defender, mostly because his defensive action comes away from the ball. His long frame makes him a near-perfect player in the switch-heavy system and helps him muck up passing lanes. And when he is defending on-ball, Tatum's able to hold his own against big men and speedy guards alike. He leads the NBA in defensive win shares, a measure of how much a player contributes to his team's success.
Jayson Tatum. Really good player, and he keeps getting better.
Rob Williams Is Playing A Lot Of Basketball
Availability was always Rob Williams' biggest issue. There was a lot of raw talent there over his first three seasons, but he was rarely able to advance his skills because the young big man was always hurt.
Williams played 52 games last season, which were the most of his career. He matched that number Thursday night, starting all 52 of his appearances this season. He's averaging 30 minutes per game, 12 minutes more than he saw last season.
With all of that playing time, Williams has evolved his game as everyone was hoping he would. His defense is as exciting as the lobs that he catches on offense, and that defense tends to lead to easy offense for the team. On Thursday, he sparked a third-quarter Boston run by coming up with a steal and finishing with an alley-oop, following it up with another oops on Boston's ensuing possession, and then went down the floor and went across the paint to deny a Jaren Jackson layup bid.
The Boston fans, obviously, love each of those plays in a rather exciting sequence.
Williams has made all the improvements the Celtics have needed him to make, and like Tatum, he just keeps getting better. He is patient and doesn't bite as much on up fakes as he once did, and he has done a better job at keeping slashers in front of him.
Tatum is the most exciting player on the Boston roster, but Rob Williams is making it a close race.
Grant Williams Is Hitting Threes
There is another Williams on the Celtics roster that is making a big impact. Grant Williams has filled one of Udoka's important reserve roles off the bench, and he's no longer just a scrappy hustler.
Grant Williams is now a legit three-point shooter. As in, one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA. Yes, this is the same Grant Williams who started his NBA career by missing his first 25 attempts from downtown.
Steph Curry isn't going to start worrying about his NBA record, but Williams' 44.7 shooting percentage from downtown is currently the third-best rate in the NBA. It's not like he's hitting a three every time he gets the ball, attempting just 3.4 threes per game. But Brad Stevens commended the second-year forward for hitting his shots when he's open, and finding the open man when he's not.
Williams' basketball IQ is the main reason he's out there and a big part of Boston's rotation, but now his three-point shooting is helping the team win some ballgames. Wild.
Ime's Adjustments
Udoka joked Thursday night that Boston's incredible third-quarter play as of late is because they have the NBA Coach of the Month on their bench. He deserved that little victory lap, and if Boston can climb to the top four in the East by season's end, he'll garner some Coach of the Year attention.
Everything has seemed to turn around since Udoka called out his team's mental toughness after they blew a 25-point lead to the New York Knicks on Jan. 6. It was their second straight loss at the time, sending Boston to an 18-21 record.
Two nights later, the Celtics beat those same Knicks by 24 points. They won five of their next six, and are 20-6 since that tongue lashing by their head coach.
The first-year head coach is still a work in progress, but he learned quickly that he had to rely on a much thinner lineup. He's whittled his rotation down to 8-9 players each night (minus garbage time appearances), with Brad Stevens pulling a deadline day fire sale for all of the team's scrubs has only helped.
