Boston Celtics: 3 thoughts and concerns from win over 76ers

Thought 3 – Concern for the matchup with the Warriors

Look, if the concern about Tatum’s shot selection is likely nothing to worry about, then this observation is almost definitely nothing to worry about. I wouldn’t blame you for stopping reading right here. But this happened enough to at least talk about it (and our access to shareable game footage is limited, so you’re just gonna have to settle for my words).

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The Celtics had a surprising amount of difficulty chasing J.J. Redick around. Oftentimes Jaylen Brown was the one guarding him, oftentimes it was someone else, but it didn’t seem to matter. Nobody could follow him around screens individually, and the team defensive structure repeatedly broke down, leaving him with open shots as help defenders looked on confused. Sometimes they just lost him in open space, too. His 7-17 shooting from the field and his 2-8 shooting from deep could have easily been much better if luck swung his way a bit more.

A couple qualifiers here: 1) Redick is world-class at getting himself free for shots from deep – his career is arguably founded more on his ability to navigate screens and his shiftiness than his shooting ability; and,  2) following guys around screens is inherently very, very difficult.

It’s also only game one, and you expect this to improve as a season goes on. But as I watched individual defenders fail to stick with him, and as I watched the team repeatedly execute switches off screens poorly, one thought kept coming up.

What if this was the Warriors?

The Boston Celtics are thinking Finals or bust, and their likely finals matchup is Golden State. While the 76ers only really run Redick off screens on a consistent basis, the Warriors offense is built around all-time-great shooters running off screens. It’s nonstop action, and their shooters are a heck of a lot scarier than Redick. If Boston had so much trouble following around one aging sharpshooter, what is their plan when they have to track three lethal perimeter threats?

The Celtics have historically performed well against Golden State, so you don’t expect this to be a significant problem. It’s an early-season thing that they’re going to clean up. But this is definitely something to watch out for. It’s not like the Warriors are the only team that likes to screen away from the ball.

But honestly, let’s just be happy that the Boston Celtics are back in action. This article pointed some concerns out, but Tuesday night had a lot more reason for optimism than pessimism.