Forsberg: Five Celtics takeaways through first five games
We still don’t have a big enough sample size to make firm declarations about the 2020-21 Boston Celtics but here’s five lingering thoughts on players not named Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown through five games.
He hasn’t been perfect and there are still instances where we scream at the TV whenever Robert Williams gets caught out of position on defense. But there’s been far more good than bad through Williams' 68 minutes of floor time.
In fact, Williams leads the team in net rating (plus-19.9 points per 100 possessions) through the first five games. He’s content to run the floor and throw down lobs while shooting a ridiculous 88.2 percent. When Williams plays with energy and lets his natural talents take over, he’s been excellent. His passing skills can really help this team. Part of the reason the Celtics have been able to experiment with two-big lineups at the start of the games is because Williams has been excellent in backup minutes.
There’s still progress to be made. He needs to play with energy for his entire stint on the floor and not downshift whenever he has a defensive lapse. If he stays healthy, Williams is going to be a key rotation presence for this team deep into the season — and beyond.
One more thing on Timelord: In the 21 minutes he’s shared the floor with Tatum and Brown, the Celtics have an absurd net rating of plus-67.8. In the 87 minutes that Tatum and Brown have been on the court without Williams, that net rating drops to minus-11.3 over 87 minutes.
Forsberg: Williams has clear path to success for C's right now
The Payton Pritchard hype train has reached a dangerously high velocity but here’s why we’re convinced his fast start isn’t any sort of mirage: Pritchard plays with a poise not often seen in rookies.
He confidently probes in the pick and roll and does an excellent job creating space to get his shot off. He doesn’t pick up his dribble when attacking the basket which prevents him from getting swallowed up by bigs. Pritchard operates with the confidence of someone who has played in big games throughout his basketball career and isn’t overwhelmed by the NBA stage.
It’s still wild that he’s fourth on the team in minutes, trailing only the core of Tatum, Brown, and Marcus Smart. We’d suspect that number will come down a bit once Kemba Walker is healthy. But Pritchard is making the most of his early opportunity and there’s no reason to believe he can’t make good things happen whenever he’s called upon.
Tristan Thompson weighs in on Pritchard nickname debate
One more thing on Pritchard: He’s currently fourth on the team in drives per game at 7.8.
More remarkable: He’s shooting 72.7 percent in shots off drives, according to the NBA’s tracking data. Again, incredibly small sample but he’s made 8 of 11 field goal attempts off 39 drives and generated six assists as well. That’s 18 total points off drives, the third highest total on the team behind only Brown (36) and Tatum (31).
The kid can really make things happen when he turns on the jets and attacks the hoop.
