Inside The Celtics

Joe Mazzulla Believes Celtics' Second Unit is 'Starting to Develop an Identity'

After a slow start to the season on offense, the Celtics' second unit is delivering the two-way impact needed for Boston to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Bobby Krivitsky

Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Before its recent offensive surge, led by Sam Hauser recapturing his rhythm from beyond the arc, the Boston Celtics' second unit entered last Friday's 121-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets ranked last in points per game, averaging 23.1, per NBA.com.

Despite their struggles to score, even before that victory vs. Brooklyn in their first in-season tournament tilt, at plus-one, Boston's bench produced the ninth-best plus-minus rating of any second unit.

That's a testament to how well this group, which now features Al Horford, has gotten terrific performances from Sam Hauser and seen Payton Pritchard consistently apply on-ball pressure and stay in front of drives, providing a meaningful boost defensively. The Celtics' bench allowed only 34.6 points per contest, the second-fewest of any second unit, entering last Friday's matchup against the Nets, per NBA.com.

And there was Oshae Brissett's impact in Boston's 119-111 win over the Miami Heat, giving the hosts a needed infusion of energy with his cutting and crashing the offensive glass, repeatedly extending possessions.

After the victory, Jayson Tatum said of the former Syracuse Orange star's impact, "He changed the game."

But since the Celtics returned to TD Garden, where they've earned three-straight wins, bouncing back from consecutive losses, their first two of the season, their bench is delivering the type of two-way performances this team will need to help it capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

They chipped in 37 points in the game against Brooklyn. Hauser contributed 15, burying 5/10 threes. Pritchard shook off his early season shooting struggles, making 5/10 field-goal attempts, scoring 13 points, and snagging four offensive rebounds, matching his career-high. Luke Kornet was also excellent that night, registering seven points, nine rebounds, six extending possessions, and a block.

A day later, in a 117-94 steamrolling of the Toronto Raptors, Boston's bench put 28 points on the board, led by Hauser, who had 12.

And in Monday's 114-98 win over the New York Knicks, that group, which has struggled without Jayson Tatum on the floor with them, produced seven points in 2.3 minutes, as the lineup of Pritchard, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Hauser, and Horford earned a plus-three plus-minus rating, per NBA.com.

What's crucial is that they've continued developing at a high level while ramping up their offensive production.

After Monday's victory vs. New York, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla discussed what he's seen lately from his team's second unit.

"They're starting to develop an identity of what it looks like when they're on the floor together. Their ball movement; they're taking pride in defense, and they're doing some different things. Our press looks a little different when our second unit's in. We showed a couple (of) possessions of (playing) zone. And then, we were able to change up the matchups.

"So, our second unit is really developing an identity of a free-flow offense and then being creative on the defensive end and doing some different stuff."

Boston's bench also spoke about how what's asked of the bench is determined by the matchup and how the game is going, meaning its identity will often look different from one contest to the next.

"I think that unit is going to continue to develop an identity because it looks different," said Mazzulla. "And so, tonight there was no Luke, sometimes it's Luke, sometimes it's Oshae, sometimes it's double-big, sometimes it's not. So, that unit, (it) kind of has to find its identity, and it takes a little bit more time."

The second-year NBA head coach also pointed to the keys behind Brown successfully leading that unit, a task the Celtics often rely on Tatum to carry out.

"I thought we went to some stuff for Jaylen that really puts him in the best possible situation, and we got like six points out of stuff that he drilled today, and so, he's doing a great job of finding a couple (of) things that really work for him, that he's comfortable with, and then we're executing those."

Further Reading

From Jrue Holiday's Milestone to Jayson Tatum's Post-Ups, Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Knicks

Celtics' Jrue Holiday Discusses Reaching Career Milestone: 'I Didn't Know it Was Coming'

Jaylen Brown Says the Celtics’ Rebounding Helped in Win vs. Knicks

Joe Mazzulla Discusses Boston Celtics' Physicality vs. New York Knicks

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Chemistry with Jaylen Brown: 'I Love Playing with Him'

Joe Mazzulla Shares What's 'Far Exceeded My Expectations' of Kristaps Porzingis

From Porzingis Pick-and-Rolls to Jaylen Brown Posters, Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Steamrolled Raptors

Jaylen Brown on Celtics Learning from Losses and Building Chemistry: 'It's a Learning Curve'

From Self Doubt to Celtics History, Jayson Tatum Discusses Journey to 10,000 Points: 'I Didn't Think I Was Good Enough'

Kristaps Porzingis Gives Glimpse of How He'll Boost Celtics Late-Game Offense

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present

Published
Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

Home/Analysis