The Boston Celtics fell to the Detroit Pistons for the second time this season on Friday night, 108-102.
Detroit was led by newcomer Saddiq Bey (30 points, 7 by 7 with a 3 point range) and Delon Wright (22 points, shot 7 through 9). OC’s got 33 and 27 points from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, respectively, in defeat.
Celtics-Pistons highlights: C’s can’t stop Bey in 108-102 loss
Here’s what we’re exaggerating when Boston moves to 13-12 this season.
1. OC’s lost Saddiq Bey.
Boston had a chance to draft Bey with the 14th overall choice in the 2020 NBA Draft. Instead, it went with Aaron Nesmith in that place, and Bey ended up with the Pistons in 19th overall.
(Our own Chris Forsberg had Bey headed to Boston in his final NBA Draft Mock).
It bothered the Celtics again in their three encounters with Bey and the Pistons this season. Villanova’s product was 7-to-11 (23 points) in two games against Boston before Friday night’s showdown. Then it exploded by a ridiculous 30 points by making a perfect 7-to-7 beyond the arc.
How about this for a reminder of what you might have had?
Now, to be fair, Bey has not been a consistent contributor throughout her rookie campaign. But he was certainly much more useful than Nesmith. The C rookie hasn’t seen much of the court, and is shooting only 32.4% of the field (31% of 3) in limited action this season.
It has been a long time for Nesmith to find his pace, but it is difficult to watch Friday’s game and not go out wondering if the Celtics made the wrong decision.
Verdict: overreaction
2. The Celtics really miss Marcus Smart.
Since Smart suffered a calf injury on January 30 against the Los Angeles Lakers, the C’s are 3-4 and undergoing initial formations that, most of the time, are not fulfilling their mission.
This time it was newcomer Payton Pritchard starting in place of Smart. As incredible as “Fast PP” was this season, he was a non-factor on Friday night with two points (1 for 5 shots) in 29 minutes.
Obviously, Pritchard is not the problem, but it is another example of the Celtics’ lack of depth as a point guard. It also goes beyond the box score, as Smart’s leadership presence is clearly lost.
Either Boston needs to start thinking a lot about the exception of the traded player, or Smart needs to return to provide some relief as quickly as possible. Or both.
Verdict: It’s not an overreaction
3. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown need to involve others more.
The Celtics reaped the benefits of sharing the rock on Thursday night against the Toronto Raptors, making a total of 30 assists while Tatum and Brown did a phenomenal job of involving teammates. Tatum scored nine assists, and Brown had a career record of 10. As a result, Semi Ojeleye and Payton Pritchard combined for 44 points and were the key to victory.
The story was different on Friday night, as the C’s had just 15 assists in total against Detroit. Tatum did his part with seven, but other than that, the ball just wasn’t moving.
The point is that the Celtics will only go as far as their supporting cast can take them. Tatum and Brown are training superstars, but they can’t do it alone. This was evident in Friday’s defeat, as it was throughout the season.
Verdict: It’s not an overreaction
The next step for the C’s is a Sunday fight against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. The tip is set to 13h ET.