Threes, threes, and more threes. Whenever people discuss the Boston Celtics’ offense, that’s the main topic of discussion, and it’s not hard to see why. Boston is on pace to be the best three-point shooting team in the history of basketball this year (in terms of makes), but it’s a different pillar of their offense that makes everything click.
Screening is crucial for the Celtics. Luke Kornet has mastered the art, Al Horford has been a staple in that category, and even their guards can screen. Offensive rebounding has been important. Isolation talent is essential. But none of those are the most underrated reason why Boston’s offense flows so perfectly.
It’s because everyone can pass.
Passing is the key to making the Celtics offense flow
Well, it’s actually more specific than that because everyone who has ever picked up a basketball can literally pass. But the difference is, almost everyone on the Celtics’ roster is a very skilled passer. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s continued development, they’ve built a lineup of quality passers who know when and where to move the ball.
Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser are the only ones left who aren’t extremely skilled at making the right reads, and even they have made major progress.
Take a look at Luke Kornet. Traditionally, rim-rolling big men have three primary focuses: Screen, catch, and finish. Obviously, offensive rebounding is important, too, but within the action, those are their duties.
Then you have the Isaiah Hartensteins and Mason Plumlees of the world. That’s where Kornet falls. His awareness of the entire rest of the floor supercedes the traditional role for a backup big, and it allows him to be an elite connector.
The same goes for rookie Baylor Scheierman. Within Boston’s offense, he is often reduced to a catch-and-shoot roll. But his collegiate success as a lead ball-handler and playmaker has led to an ability to make plays with the ball in his hand when called upon.
He can put the ball on the floor, make cross-court passes, and always knows where the open man will be based on the defense’s rotations.
Hauser and Porzingis have made progress in the area, too.
Obviously, as point guards, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Payton Pritchard are natural playmakers. They’re all very capable of running the pick-and-roll or swinging the ball where it needs to be after the catch.
Tatum and Brown’s improvements have been a necessity, as they usually act as the Celtics' primary ball-handlers when they’re on the floor.
That’s pretty much the entire rotation, and there’s a reason Joe Mazzulla likely keeps it this way.
Their offense is so predicated on breaking down mismatches and finding the open man that it needs five elite passers on the floor to be at its best. By maintaining a tight rotation of quality passers, Mazzulla ensures that the offense will always be able to run smoothly.
Even in the case of Neemias Queta, who has been almost completely usurped by Kornet in the rotation, his struggles to pass out of offensive rebounds stand out mightily whenever he’s on the floor, as it nullifies Boston’s usual offensive goals. That said, he’s shown flashes of improvement as a passer, too.
The Celtics almost always have five talented passers on the floor, and their offense reaps the rewards of that intentional choice.
