In their 114-112 win over the Chicago Bulls Saturday, the Boston Celtics assisted on 27 of their 44 made field goals. That's their sixth-most in a game this season.
Assists don't always paint an accurate picture of how well a team moves the ball, but there's no doubt Boston needs to get better and more consistent in that facet of the game.
The Celtics average 22.7 assists per contest, which ranks 24th leaguewide, but raising that total by two would tie them with the New Orleans Pelicans for the last spot in the top 10.
As Inside The Celtics has detailed, to a large extent, becoming a team that moves the ball more effectively and does so with greater consistency is an issue the Celtics can solve internally.
One of the keys to accomplishing that is taking advantage of Robert Williams' abilities as a facilitator. As evidenced in Saturday's win, it's something that should be a staple of Boston's offense.
That first play also highlights one of the benefits of having Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown work in tandem. The second clip illustrates how good the Celtics' offense looks when players are active off the ball and cutting to the rim.
It was also great to see Tatum and Brown register four assists apiece. The former averages 3.8 per game, and the latter's mean is three per contest. An easy way to get an assist is taking advantage of Robert Williams as a vertical threat.
Tatum gets excellent screens by Dennis Schroder and Williams on this Horns set. As he comes off those two picks, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White are focused on him as Williams is diving to the rim. Tatum draws the Bulls' center towards him, then throws the lob to Williams, who skies for the one-handed jam.
Tatum also connected with Williams on an alley-oop in the third quarter. It's a simple but well-designed play, where he comes off a screen from Al Horford, attacks downhill off the catch, then draws Vucevic towards him, and throws another lob to Williams.
Earlier in the frame, Tatum had Vucevic on him in a mismatch on the perimeter. He gives the ball up, but Brown quickly gets it back to him, and Tatum lowers his shoulders and charges downhill off the catch. That pulls DeMar DeRozan in, leaving Horford open for a three from the corner. The veteran big man is struggling from beyond the arc this season, making just 28.1 percent of his threes, but he's 9/19 (47.4 percent) from the right corner, per NBA.com. Getting Horford more threes from there and fewer from above the break, where he's 28/113 (24.8 percent), will benefit him and the team.
Tatum's fourth assist came early in the fourth quarter when he pushed the pace in transition, and Josh Richardson fanned out to the left corner. As an All-Star wing working his towards the basket, Tatum drew the attention of all three surrounding defenders, giving Richardson an open three.
As for Brown, he and Williams worked well together on a high screen-and-roll where Boston's big man slow-played his dive to the rim and Brown held the attention of two Bulls' defenders, leading to an open floater for Williams, who shows off his touch from the middle of the paint.
Brown also registered an assist on a simple but smart play, coming off a screen from Williams, getting into the teeth of Chicago's defense, and kicking the ball out to an open Josh Richardson for a three.
Boston's ball movement also got a boost from Dennis Schroder. The veteran guard, primarily known for scoring, dished out eight assists in Saturday's win. That matches his second-most as a Celtic.
In the play above, Schroder turns down a potential screen by Williams and streaks down the left side of the court. That forces Brown's defender, Ayo Dosunmu, to stay alert to his man and the ball, which helps Brown get by him backdoor for a reverse layup.
About midway through the fourth quarter, on another well-schemed play, Schroder capitalized on Williams' abilities as a threat at the rim. It starts with Williams setting a down screen for Schroder, who picks for Tatum. The All-Star wing brings two defenders with him as he comes off that screen, leaving Schroder open when he flares to the top of the key. Schroder gets into the paint, prompting Bulls' big man Tony Bradley to step up, signaling Schroder to throw the lob to Williams, who takes care of the rest.
Then, with less than 2:30 left in the game, Schroder again gets into the paint, this time getting Vucevic to come towards him, and he connects with Williams on another alley-oop.
Schroder's also the one who delivered the ball to Brown on the baseline out-of-bounds play where the All-Star wing came through an elevator screen by Williams and Richardson, freeing him up for an open jumper that put the Celtics down two with 1:06 left to play.
No matter the opposition or who their opponent's missing, this is how the Celtics have to play consistently. When Williams and Horford get featured as facilitators, players are cutting to the rim, playing with pace, decisiveness, and attacking downhill, Boston's offense becomes far more difficult to stop. Especially when compared to how it looks when Tatum and Brown are isolating while everyone else stands around and watches them do so.
Further Reading
What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Sixers: Boston Not Ready for Measuring Stick Game
Brad Stevens Discusses Possibility of Celtics Bringing Back Isaiah Thomas
What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Pacers: Tatum and Brown Take Over
Report: Celtics Express Interest in Jeff Green and Jalen Smith; Evaluating Both Options
Should Jaylen Brown be the Celtics' Closer?
Trade Options for a Celtics Team in Need of Shooters
Celtics' Trade Options Part II: Facilitators
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January 17, 2022 at 08:21AM
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Film Room: Celtics' Ball Movement at Its Best in Win vs. Bulls - Sports Illustrated
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