But you see that is the thing, Irving and maybe Tatum are the only guys on the team that are great shooters (and I don't think either is truly elite in that department). Boston is a team with a bunch of good shooters (and Smart), but it isn't set up to all that well to live and die by the 3 pointer because it isn't a team with a bunch of elite shooters.
I more or less agree with this. The Celtics should focus on getting to the basket more. They have plenty of guys who should be able to pressure a defense inside.
Hayward being skittish about going into the paint makes sense.
The other guys ... I don't get it.
As you say, if you have a lot of great shooters you can gear your offense around creating three point shots first and foremost and let other shots flow from that.
The Celts don't have that kind of roster. They have a very, very talented roster, but it seems like they ought to make more use of the fact that they have a bunch of guys who should be able to go off the dribble and create space to get inside.
The Celts offense seems like it ought to be geared towards pressuring a defense with movement and attacking speed mismatches, and kick out to open shooters only when the defense sells out to stop the drive.
Now, I don't know if the Celts have a lot of great inside finishers, either. Rozier, Brown, Smart all have issues finishing inside. But your offense is going to struggle hard if you don't at least try to get inside.
At the very least the Celts ought to be able to generate a lot more free throws instead of being one of the worst teams in the league at that.