The Raptors were completely destroyed by the Celtics, and it appears that some kinks have been worked out.
After two losses, the Boston Celtics and several of their best players are back on track.
Sam’s Pick: The return of Sam Hauser
You know, we Sams gotta stick together. That example, it means nothing at all that Sam Hauser and I share a name if he is incapable of hurling a rock into the water. Hauser was unable to make a three-point shot to save his life throughout the first three games of the 2023–24 season. He only converted on 20% of his long-range efforts during that time, which alarmed a sizable portion of the fan base.
Ever since, the man has appeared. The wing with excellent shooting skills has found his touch during the last six games. His 55.3% clip since November 1st is more than sufficient for me to declare him back in action. That miserable 20 percent has rebounded to an amazing 45.3% for the season.
In the former Virginia standout’s victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, he scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, all from beyond the arc, for his fourth straight double-digit scoring performance.
Hauser’s comeback is crucial for a Boston club that has such high hopes. It is far more difficult for opposition defences to zero in on the Cs’ players when they choose to attack because of his consistency from three-point range.
When Jayson Tatum considered putting the ball to the rack against the Philadelphia 76ers, only two games prior, he was seeing three bodies. The Celtics were severely harmed by their inability to purchase a three-point shot over the whole of Wednesday’s defeat.
For the bench as a whole, having Hauser at the top of his game is a positive move. Payton Pritchard only needs to establish himself and increase the offensive firepower for Boston at this point.
Jack’s Pick: Jaylen Brown gaining momentum.
At the beginning of the season, it appeared as though Jaylen Brown would be the Celtic who would be most affected by the new players signed in the offseason. However, in Boston’s victory over the Toronto Raptors, he displayed a recently acquired talent that may cause the reverse to occur.
When Jayson Tatum is not on the court, Joe Mazzulla may be able to utilise Brown and Kristaps Porzingis to create an effective two-man game. This could be the key to realising the Celtics’ full potential. The topic of Brown’s lack of ability to write plays has been discussed extensively during the last few years.
They are unbeatable, though, when he and Porzingis are running the pick-and-roll. Making plays on offence obviously benefits with having a 7-foot-3 colossus next to you, and fortunately for Brown and the Celtics, they do!
In addition to dishing out some humorous dimes to Porzingis, Brown also received a couple of them. He also had one of his most comprehensive offensive outings of the year against the Raptors because to his excellent cutting and driving.
Brown appears to be getting back on track and moving in the right direction after experiencing some early-season shooting difficulties. Maintaining that form with Porzingis could be crucial.
These were only a handful of the most important topics discussed in the podcast on Sunday.
Discussions like the ideal balanced Celtics offence, the possibility that LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is the greatest “is he hurt?” player of all time, and the infamous “Rat List” were also included.
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