Just rewatched the first quarter and did some tracking on our three wings. I hope you guys enjoy it!
Tatum:
1. Good pocket pass to Theis on PnR to start the game.
2. Botched a high leverage interior dish to Hayward on a post up at 9:45 in the 1st quarter. Garnett would've seen the opening and made the pass.
3. Sagged off too much to help Brown on a Siakam drive because of his ball-watching tendencies on defense at 8:08 in the 1st, it led to an open Lowry three.
4. Another case of tunnel vision at 7:55 in the 1st, missed an open Jaylen Brown that he could've hit with a skip pass.
5. Not sure about this, but he could've fired off a pass to Hayward in the corner at 7:22 in the 1st instead of shooting a floater at the elbow even though it was a good look
6. Nice floater off the pick at 2:29, there was no one who got open due to the threat of him driving, so the floater was a good decision.
7. Not too hot on him shooting a contested floater at the FT line when he could've kicked it out to Smart at 1:50.
8. Good pullup three after a Grant "Tuckwagon 2.0" Williams screen got him open.
9. Tatum looks more like Jeff Green than Paul Pierce with this wild drive right at Ibaka instead of throwing a behind the back pass to G-Will at 0:57 or so.
10. Got himself open for three in transition at 0:42, he failed to convert but deserves credit for running to a spot where he can pick up some easy points.
Brown:
1. Strong left-hand drive and finish for his first points.
2. Good kickout to Hayward the next possession off a pick after collapsing the defense.
3. Excellent use of the Theis screen with an advanced dribble move to drive in the opposite direction and create a 2 on 1 power play for an open floater.
4. Strong drive right into Gasol for the easy transition layup-efficient picking of the low hanging fruit available in a basketball game.
5. First meh play on offense at 7:45 in the 1st, he could've slid in a pass to Hayward in the paint.
6. Good pass to Kemba at 7:12 in the 1st for the drive and floater.
7. Late pass to an open Smart at 6:19.
8. Good kickout to Grant Williams at 0:23, nothing amazing but still a solid pass.
Hayward:
1. Aggressive drive at 6:47 off the pick to draw a foul on Gasol, but should've tried a Eurostep to the right for a better look.
2. Miller-esque cut after faking to run to the three point line for an easy basket that was disallowed for "pushing" his defender.
3. Should have passed to an open Grant Williams at the corner on the drive at 5:21.
4. Matador perimeter defense leading to a blowby by legend Norman Powell at 3:55.
5. Fumbled the ball after a behind the back dribble at 3:42, leading to a TO after Fred Van Jordan poked it away.
Thoughts:
1. Tatum's offense is a mixed bag-he has a ton of skills in his toolbox, but isn't adept at utilising them effectively to generate elite offense. His decision making, vision and passing are also quite subpar-he needs a physical transformation as well as a massive improvement in vision and BBIQ to become that transcendent superstar we want him to be.
2. Brown has made massive improvements in the offseason to his already effective game-he has expanded his offensive arsenal, has a better rhythm on offense and has developed much better basketball sense and vision on the court. He's converting "good" passes at a pretty high rate for a wing of his reputation (p--- poor passing), and has shown a number of advanced dribble moves to create space off the dribble, something that all wing superstars have unless they're a Reggie Miller type. If he keeps it up he'll be worth every single penny of that extension and some more.
3. Hayward is a very nice piece for the Celtics. He's a skilled wing who can take up a number of roles, whether it's being the first option on offense or as a complementary piece who plays mainly off ball (that cut was nice, and he stood in some good spots for open shots). He does have a major flaw though-his drives to the left are awful. He always stops before he gets to the basket and pulls up for an awkward one legged runner that's a poor shot, and fails to recognise open teammates when he's thinking of going up with that shot. He's also a meh perimeter defender after his ankle injury, he really doesn't have the speed to keep up with elite perimeter players anymore. I think it's time to drop the PG comparisons-PG had his incredible length to fall back on, and retained more of his athleticism after the injury.
Topic: Raptors (1-0) at Celtics (0-1) Game #2 10/25/19 (Read 63289 times)