Plug-and-Play Celtics are Passing and Scoring at Elite Level

MILWAUKEE — Derrick White snuck the perfect pass to Daniel Theis past Giannis Antetokounmpo and a Jaylen Brown high screen with Boston trailing by three to the Bucks. Theis botched the layup, which would’ve given the Celtics 31 assists on 44 baskets and a chance to win a game where Jayson Tatum and Al Horford sat while Robert Williams III continues his rehab.

The Celtics now enter their last regular season game on Sunday nearly as prolific offensively as they’ve been on defense through rapid-fire ball movement. That and 21-for-50 three-point shooting allowed Boston to go possession-for-possession with a fully-loaded Bucks collective, overcoming a 13-point deficit before halftime to lead eight times in the second half against the defending champions. Milwaukee won, 127-121, but the Celtics’ ability to plug-and-play their offense from both passing and finishing positions inspired more hope for playoff resilience. That and some possible seeding benefits that emerged from the loss.

“Success, execution and guys rooting for each other,” Ime Udoka told CLNS on what to credit for Boston’s assist spike. “Growth on their part. It kind of flipped early in the year, in late-December, and shots go down. So that all counts, but I think everybody has really bought into that side of the ball. We know we can be good defensively, and we don’t need to rely on isolations and one-on-one to be a great offensive team. We’ve taken strides and we’ve seen the numbers kind of rise up the rankings on the offensive side, and that’s due to ball movement and unselfishness and I think, like I said, it all trickles down through the team. Guys enjoy seeing other guys score. Case in point, JB’s triple-double tonight.”

Jaylen Brown posted his second career triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists on 8-for-20 shooting, stepping up into the point forward role for Tatum. He showed pick-and-pop chemistry to get his own and feed Theis early, leading Boston to a 17-13 lead in the first five minutes.

Brown’s missed dunked, three and turnover bouncing the ball off George Hill halted the Celtics’ final comeback attempt down four with 26 seconds to play in the fourth quarter. His overall success at the point of attack nonetheless continued his progress from when he took over the point during the December COVID surge.

Finishers stepped up too, particularly Sam Hauser, who buried 3-of-4 from three following an early appearance off the bench. Theis scored 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting rolling downhill.

Luke Kornet held his own in a backup five role and bothered the Bucks with his size on defense. Aaron Nesmith continued to struggle from three while the Celtics generate three open looks for him — and the team still shot over 49% from the field. Their presence midway through the first quarter and a 10-point halftime deficit signaled a game Boston didn’t have enough talent to compete in. They’d go on to lead with two minutes remaining.

“Just making the right play. Guys hitting shots. Just doing a good job of making the reads,” Marcus Smart told CLNS after posting 29 points and seven assists on 10-for-16 shooting. “We’re playing teams that throw different looks at us. We have to be ready to provide what we need at the time and make that pass. Sometimes it may result in a turnover, but you still have to keep a defense honest.”

The Celtics have risen to 14th with a 60.9 AST% after Udoka’s heralded introductory press conference quip about Brad Stevens’ team’s 27th-ranked finish (56.6%) last season. That number’s up to 63.1% (9th) in the new year, 64.5% since February began (4th) and 67.8% (4th) in six games since Williams III got injured — two of which were short-handed efforts without Tatum and Horford, Brown also not traveling to the Toronto game.

That points toward Smart’s role in the offensive resurgence, helping generate 112 and 121 points in those games without his stars. He’s posting a 24.6 AST%, the best of his career and four percentage points better than Tatum’s mark this season. A recent uptick in his shot totals reflect his ability to give the game what it needs from the point guard position, along with lower overall averages below past seasons and higher efficiency from shooting closer to the basket.

An adept lob thrower for Williams III, Smart will need to learn to lower the target tossing them to Theis.

Smart doesn’t stand among the league’s assist leaders and Boston never envisioned an offense where that’d be his role at the point. The Celtics have several layers of playmaking between all three big men, multiple passing wings and two point guards who keep the ball moving up the court. It’s not as equal opportunity as it used to be, there’s also a clear hierarchy pointing toward Brown and Tatum as shot-makers and finishers, while roles have clearly developed even between them.

Flashy passing sequences, inside and out, and side to side through as many as four or five extra looks are now commonplace for this group. Boston ranks 11th in passes made per game and second to the Warriors in secondary assists.

White has further solidified the thread between defense and offense that’s allowed the Celtics to build the league’s No. 1 offense by 2.7 points per 100 possessions (121.1) over Milwaukee since the deadline. They’re also No. 2 since Brown’s last triple-double, on Jan. 8, following the collapse against the Knicks that turned the season.

White’s laser pass to Theis in the post could’ve put Boston in position to pull off one of the biggest upsets of their season. Instead, the question of the Celtics’ 13-22 record (29th) in clutch games lingers. They’re better, at 7-8, since 2022 began and their large margins of victory haven’t allowed them to play in many close games late.

How Boston avoids stagnancy in games within five points, while the clock ticks away, still stands as this group’s biggest question, even if Thursday’s loss didn’t provide the best opportunity to discuss how those spots would look in the postseason. The team once again settled for deep shots late aside from Brown’s dunk attempt, and ranks top-10 in three-point attempts, benefiting from an upward swing to 39.7% from deep since March began.

Udoka saw offensive issues that have since improved leading to blown leads accounting for much of that poor crunch time record. He wanted his group to fire away in Milwaukee when they received looks against a tough Bucks defense that packs the paint. White’s improved shooting lately (50% 3PT last eight games) is a good sign toward his consistent inclusion in clutch situations. The Celtics, overall, plan to play and rotate flexibly.

There won’t be any time to imagine what success looks like late, though they’ve seen it in spots like the dramatic over the Nets last month. The Celtics will simply have to do it in one week, after Sunday’s game against a Memphis team that’ll potentially rest as the west’s set No. 2 team could secure at least the No. 3 seed in the east for Boston.

“Everybody’s just playing unselfishly, driving, creating for others,” White told CLNS. “It just makes basketball fun. So I just think we’re doing a good job of driving, drawing two and then just kicking out to the open guy and people knocking down shots. It’s fun to play that way and we’ve been doing it for a while now.”