Tatum Takes Charge, Jaylen's Knee, & Elation for Davison

Earlier in the season, the Celtics lost in Oklahoma City. A lot of things went wrong in what was a winnable game, but in the aftermath, I was most critical of Jayson Tatum's performance (which is difficult for me, since he's my favorite athlete). He only took 17 shots in the game, and wasn't forceful enough about finding his offense during the game, which was also a direct contrast to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. I wrote:

One of the things that Oklahoma City does really well is they clear out for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. There will be a lot of plays where SGA doesn't pass, and no one sets him a screen either. In the grand scheme of things, I think it leaves OKC vulnerable, because they go to it too often. But it's working well in the regular season because SGA is on a roll – he just goes and does his thing. The Celtics don't do this enough for Tatum. I think mostly that's JT trying to be democratic and keeping the other guys involved. It's the right strategy 99% of the time, and one of the many reasons the C's won the championship last season. But this season, with everyone digging in to beat the champs, sometimes Tatum has to remind people that there isn't a single person on the planet who can guard him straight up, and just take whomever is guarding him one-on-one without a screen and make things happen.

The key part is "no one sets him a screen either." Tatum loves his picks and screens, forcing the opponent to guard him with players who are either much shorter or much taller. Preferably taller, so he can either blow by them and get to the hoop, or get them off balance enough that he can get into his step back game. But in the Knicks game on Tuesday, for the first time in a long time, he took matters into his own hands.

At five points in the second half and overtime, Tatum went and did his thing without anyone coming to set him a screen, hitting four of them:

• 7:01, 3rd quarter: Made 16' Step Back Jump Shot
• 0:00, 3rd quarter: Made 18' Turnaround Fadeaway
• 5:36, 4th quarter: Made 13' Fadeaway Jumper
• 4:58, 4th quarter: Made 21' Fadeaway Jumper
• 4:38, overtime: Missed 18' Step Back Jump Shot

You could also sort of count the final shot in regulation. Kristaps Porziņģis sort of sets a screen, but it doesn't take. OG Anunoby stays with Tatum, and Tatum doesn't wait for a switch to materialize before getting his shot off. Perhaps that is only because he didn't have enough time to do so, but still.

The point is that it was what the situation called for. The C's needed Tatum to be more assertive, and he was. A lot of teams are going to reflexively double team Tatum, and when they do, he will make the right play. He always does. But when teams are not sending those doubles, and he can take his time, and take charge, the team needs him to do that. So Tuesday's game was a great sign. I realize that the game meant nothing in the grand scheme of things, but that's not how either team treated it.

The other thing you could say is that was easier for Tatum to be so assertive with Jaylen Brown not in the game. JB checked out with 2:46 left in the third quarter and didn't return. However, it is no longer a given that the C's are going to be able to rely on JB.

Scary Hours for Jaylen Brown

On Tuesday, I wrote that Jaylen Brown had looked better. In a section titled "Jaylen Looks Better," I said:

I don't think Jaylen Brown is truly past his knee troubles, but the past couple of games, he looks to be zoning in on how to play with the knee pain. It's an encouraging sign, and while I'll probably be in Worried Dad mode watching his every move for the entirety of the playoffs, I'm starting to feel better about him. And I'm a little sad that he seems to be getting left out of the All-NBA conversation entirely. It'll be interesting to hear the conversation around him if he pushes himself to play in three of these final four games to reach eligibility status.

Famous last words. He looked horrible in the Knicks game. He had absolutely no burst at all, and facing greater defensive intensity, shot just 2-for-8 for six points. He had five rebounds, but also three turnovers. Not what you want to see. He then sat out the next two games, making him ineligible for end-of-season awards. This was a troubling sign, because it seemed like the team really wanted to get him to that threshold, so it was surprising to see them let go of it, even though JB had claimed it wasn't important.

Today came worse news, as it was reported by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that Brown "received pain management injections" this week. That's a very worrying report, and I have no reason to doubt it, as few people are better sourced than Shelburne.

This is the opposite of progress. The last time JB played 30 minutes in a game was the Oklahoma City game on March 12th, and he was horrible in it. He didn't blame his knee afterward, and watching the game it just looked like Cason Wallace was getting the better of the matchup. But then JB sat out the next game. He would play 24:25 in the next game in Brooklyn, and then he sat out three straight games. When he came back, he played seven of eight games from Game 72 in Sacramento to Game 79 in New York, and he played well: .518/.406/.846 shooting on 12.1 shots in 26.4 minutes per game. He averaged being a +8. And that's including the lackluster game in NY, mind you. But he hasn't played since.

Obviously, 50% shooting in 26 minutes per game would be welcome and valuable for the C's as they mount their title defense in earnest. The question is whether he can do that with playoff intensity when the games start coming every other day. There are usually some extra days off in the first round, but by the second round, those extra days evaporate.

So the question becomes, when should he come back? No one is saying anything other than that he'll be ready for the first round of the playoffs. But perhaps it's time to look at that. The Celtics played multiple playoff rounds last season without Kristaps Porziņģis, and that may need to be a guide this season. The second round is scheduled to start May 5th or 6th, with it possibly moving up to May 3rd or 4th depending on how the first round shakes out. Assume for a second that the Celtics make it through the first round without JB, and that they start second-round play on May 5th. That would be 26 full days of rest between games – April 9th through May 4th. Nearly a full month.

There's no guarantee that nearly a full month would cure JB's bone bruise, but it certainly can't hurt. I'm no doctor, but it seems like the treatment is rest, rest, and more rest. I did make the mistake of reading about bone bruises on the Cleveland Clinic website, and these two sentences absolutely terrify me:

Bone bruises are common after traumas or other severe injuries. For example, experts estimate that around 80% of people who tear their ACL also bruise a bone in their knee joint.

Now, perhaps I shouldn't read anything into this. Perhaps this is saying that the bruise comes simultaneous to an ACL tear, or perhaps even after. But he's already got the bruise, and the absolute last thing we need is JB tearing his ACL. Nobody wants this. The C's can absolutely get through one round without him, and can probably get through two. Brad Stevens built up all of this depth for a reason.

I hope that JB will be fine when the playoffs start next weekend, but if he isn't, let him continue to rest, and be fully ready for the later rounds.

Congrats to JD Davison!!!

I've said it a few times, including a couple of weeks ago, that I think JD Davison is a solid NBA player, and that he only doesn't play because the Celtics already have three really good point guards, and often don't even necessarily even need one because Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have grown so much as playmakers. So Davison has not received much of an opportunity. In his three seasons in Boston, he's played just 35 games for a total of 181 minutes. This is the luxurious situation in which the Celtics find themselves.

Through it all, Davison has worked hard. This year, he made the Rising Stars Game during All-Star weekend, and more importantly, was named G League MVP. And today, his two-way contract was officially converted into a regular contract. Like last year with Neemias Queta, it means Davison is eligible to play in the postseason. It also means that the C's have a full 15-player roster, which is important in the postseason. Leaving Davison as a two-way player during the regular season saved the team some money, but he wouldn't have been able to play in the playoffs. Again, he probably won't need to play, but how silly would it be if the team found themselves in a situation where they needed a 15th player, and didn't have one solely because of money? It would indeed be very stupid, and Brad Stevens is not stupid, so he took care of it.

This is tremendous to see. You want to see players rewarded for their hard work. You might argue that Drew Peterson would be more valuable giving Jaylen Brown's injury struggles, but I think Torrey Craig has shown enough in the past couple of weeks that Peterson was unlikely to play anyway, and it's better for morale to reward a guy who worked hard to become the most valuable player in the league in which he was playing.

Davison's in-game three-point shot is still a work in progress at the NBA level, but his confidence taking those shots has improved dramatically, and his athleticism is still off the charts. He reminded everyone of that last night with his breakaway dunk ~40 seconds after he checked into the game.

JD Davison may never play meaningful minutes for the Celtics, but it's not because he's not qualified to do so, and I think it's great that the Celtics rewarded him with a standard contract so that he might at some point get the opportunity. Congrats to him!