It was anticipated that there would be plenty of opportunities for some of the younger players in the Boston Celtics to take the opportunity to enter this season.
Still, it was hard to imagine that they would have such a shortage of hands throughout the year, however.
Then, on Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, as the Celtics were without their defensive identity in Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown, there were plenty of opportunities for the guys who were usually on the Boston bench to make an impact.
And they did.
Of course, it was Jayson Tatum’s 34 points or perhaps a stolen clutch from Kemba Walker on the straight that led the Celtics to a 119-115 victory. But this game was also won by Carsen Edwards, Semi Ojeleye and Grant Williams.
In his best offensive performance of all time for the Celtics, Edwards scored 16 points, four rebounds and two assists, while kicking 3 out of 5 in depth and caused a 3-point foul in the decisive time.
“Seeing the first shot is always a good feeling and I feel like I’m trying to learn to get into the rhythm in other ways,” said Edwards after the game. “Getting stops, trying to get a rebound or something. But seeing a shot in helps a lot. So, just staying consistent, man. This was a good game for me, it was good to play and I just want to continue building from it. ”
Celtics coach Brad Stevens can certainly appreciate the second guard being ready to go and being an instant collaborator on Friday.
“I think that especially Carsen, last year it was difficult to get minutes on that team. We were so sunk in the wing and so interchangeable with that group that even when there were minutes available, you didn’t want to play small, you wanted to play more versatile, ”said Stevens. “But he kind of continued, he had some really good months and I thought his opportunity came up a few weeks ago in a game. And even when he’s playing, he’s not discouraged, he’s just ready. So you thought he would have a role tonight, but we won’t win without him. He changed the look of the game. This is very encouraging. “
Ojeleye scored five points off the bench with four rebounds and an assist. Most important, however, was his defensive mission at the end of the game.
Subjugated in the end, Ojeleye protected Kawhi Leonard while the NBA star missed a few late jumpers that would have influenced the result to the other side.
“Semi was there, did that,” said Stevens. “He doesn’t get much attention for what he does. It is not the easiest role in the world to be replaced with 32 seconds left and guard Kawhi Leonard 1 against 1 and in a week he is in LeBron (James) at the end of the game and Kawhi at the end of the game. That’s how teams work, right? We don’t need everyone to put on a cover, we just need everyone to do their job well ”.
As for Grant Williams, who usually gets more playing time than Edwards and Ojeleye anyway, he’s still shown steady improvement – especially shooting in the 3-point range – lately.
He scored 11 points with four rebounds, two assists and hit 3 of 4 from the bottom against Los Angeles.
“He started out a little more slowly coming out of the gates, but he’s really increased a lot lately … His skill has grown in the past 18 months and I think his comfort level. And I think that in the last month there is a clear difference from the first month of the season. “
Here are some other lessons from Boston’s victory over Los Angeles:
– Walker has taken longer to acclimate to the lineup after losing some time to start the season. The minute restriction imposed on him also did not help him get into the rhythm.
But the starting point guard was solid for the Celtics throughout the game and, in fact, played an excellent second half.
In addition to setting the record for the season with 24 points with four assists, a steal, a block and a rebound, Walker also managed a clutch steal on the straight, hit a jumper and hit some free throws that guaranteed the game.
“He was great. He was really fantastic all the time, ”said Stevens of Walker. “I thought he was good with the ball, out of the ball, even in the kicks he missed in the first half – he was hitting the ends. On the defensive, I thought he really fought and went in there and hit some balls and kept some balls alive on the rebounds. But he is a competitor. I think sometimes, guys like him see that others are out, and they almost consider it a bigger challenge. We kind of saw that tonight. “
– Payton Pritchard returned to the Boston team after two weeks with a twist at MCL, scoring eight points with two rebounds and two assists.
“To be honest, I thought he looked a little hesitant,” said Stevens of the newcomer’s return. “I had to tell him to kick, so the next time he touched the ball, he raised one right in front of me. And he did it. So he’s a good listener, but I thought he looked shy in the first half and then I thought he was good in the second. “
– This is the season that “Hospital Celtics” really lives up to its nickname.
Daniel Theis was eliminated in the third quarter against the Clippers, when the team announced that he would lose the rest of the game with pain in his right knee.
“It came up before the game, he was complaining a little bit about it,” said Stevens of Theis’s injury. “I received some extra treatment before the game. He came back and warmed up again, said he felt good. I didn’t think he looked good in the first round, I put him back in the second. I certainly thought he was taking a slow step, he didn’t feel well. And then, at the break, it made sense for him to sit. “
Stevens doesn’t think the issue will be of great concern, but with the team at the end of this brutal stretch on the road, the team is taking no chances.
“I don’t think it’s anything big,” admitted Stevens. “You know, he sat down a few times last year for the same thing, but this stretch is crazy, so we have to make sure we are smart about all these guys.”
– There are two games left on the trip to Boston.
The Celtics then travels to Phoenix for a matinee against the Suns at Sunday’s Super Bowl at 1 pm Eastern time. After that, they end the long season in Utah against Jazz on Tuesday.
Miniature photo via Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports Images