Edit: Just gonna edit in to reiterate, it felt real dumb to give established players single game letter grades, so i dropped it. If the C's do another all fringe rotation guys game I'll probably bring that back, because it makes more sense for guys whose role depends on every game.
Derrick White -
ANOTHER ONE, another classic D White game. He was all over the place defensively and remained active despite 2 early fouls. He really took off in the 3rd when the Celtics decided to test out their 2 big lineup. I’m unsure what this unlocked in white, but I believe he scored 11 quick points in this short stretch, just navigating screens and slicing to the basket. He also had a really tough shot where he stopped short of the rim and did a weird little fade, where I’m not sure if his feet even hit the ground, but he made it look pretty, lol. 4 steals on the night for White where the Celtics forced 30 turnovers. I’ll talk more about the double big lineup later, but White was the star of the show there. He only shot 2 3 pointers, but he did hit one of them. I’m curious about White’s 3 point shooting this season. Tonight he wasn’t shooting much but finished 6/9 from the field and 1/2 from 3.
Jordan Walsh -
This is the 2nd start from Walsh which I’m not sure how I feel about long term. Walsh’s numbers don’t stick out even though his night was solid. He’s going to be the 5th option offensively. Similarly, it’s hard to evaluate a night where he only had 3 boards, because he’s playing in a lineup with Robinson and Tatum, who are both great rebounders for their position. He really needs to be a great defender, and this game was actually a step up from the first 2 preseason games for him. Game 1 was an issue with transition defense, Game 2 he was noticeably not great away from the ball, this game he was noticeably stronger in transition. He was right in the thick of it, stopping the break a few times, actually getting a block, surprising his guy from the side. I would like to see a little more nasty from my guy, even if he ends up with an extra foul, I’d like to see him pick up the ball a bit further out and really force his man to beat him. Similar to game 1, Walsh started the game for a stretch, and then sat until the 3rd quarter.
Paul George -
My big critique from Paul George from game 1 was his shot selection and seeming to be discordant from his teammates. This game was the reverse of that and he seemed to be really clicking with the starting unit, Tatum and Robinson in particular. The big issue for George this game was he was just missing wide open shots, going 2/10 from the field and 1/7 from 3. I can honestly forgive that much more easily than just jacking up bad shots. He was playing within the offense. Defensively he picked up right where he left off last game, making guys struggle to get into their bag in the first place. Brandon Miller was guarded by PG for a lot of the game, and ended up 4/17, in large part to George. There was one great steal PG got where it took multiple efforts to secure the ball, but once he got it, he had an amazing behind the back pass to Tatum way down the court. 36 year old Paul George is kind of like having a 2nd Derrick White.
Jayson Tatum -
This game Tatum showed great chemistry with both Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta, hitting Robinson for multiple alley oops, as well as taking the ball inside and flipping it to a wide open Queta. Like always I don’t have a huge amount to say about Tatum, he just makes everything look so simple. My only criticism hs there was a stretch in the 3rd where Brandon Miller got hot, and I thought, “I’d really like to see Tatum take over and hit a few shots here”, and to his credit, he did hit a much needed 3, but then missed his next shot, followed by a turnover. I was really hoping he’d force the issue on back to back possessions, and maybe get something inside. He also had Christian Anderson in a post up at one point, and while he hit the shot, it was like a crazy Kobe turnaround fadeaway overly complicated bullshit shot that seemed way too difficult of a shot when he has a nearly 7 inch height difference. Like I’m not an expert, but that seemed a little extra.
Mitchell Robinson -
Robinson had a really strong outing tonight, dunking the ball, where last game he visibly was holding back from elevating. It was nice to see him cutting hard to the rim for those easy baskets only a guy with his attributes can get. Robinson was a perfect 5/5 from the field today, purely off lobs, feeds, and offensive rebounds. He also went 2/2 from the line and the crowd was going nuts. I’d love to see him continue developing chemistry with Tatum and George as a screener. At one point in the 3rd Mazzulla went with a double big lineup with Queta and Robinson sharing the court. This created its own set of advantages and problems, lol. In this set, Robinson was largely camping the dunker spot by the rim, while Queta ran around screening, or slipping out to the corner. Robinson’s role was really unchanged by this grouping and it made Hauser and Queta adapt.
Payton Pritchard -
Pritchard subs in with Neemy in the first, which is a change of pace I really like. PP called his own number early and often in the first half, but it seemed like Charlotte’s length was bothering him. They’re a good recovery team so even if you dribble yourself into an advantage, you may still have to make a tough shot. He did get robbed of one on a pretty blatant goaltend. Pritchard seems to be building good chemistry with Queta which I think is really important, as they’ll be sharing the court a lot together. Pritchard started to use his ability to dribble himself into advantages and used his passing game more often, ending the game with 11 assists. Pritchard was also part of the double big lineup, and his spacing and ball handling was part of what was working about it.
Neemias Queta -
Kind of a weird game for Queta. It’s clear they’re trying to see if Queta can hit wide open 3’s, and the results have been meh. The 1 3 pointer he seemed to connect on got amended to a 2 a few minutes after. The 3’s are there though, opponents are not bothering to cover him from 3. If he can shoot maybe 34% on low volume he opens up some doors for himself, playing next to Robinson. In the double big lineup, Quetta was definitely the one tasked with adapting his game, as the paint was full of big Mitch. Queta spent most of his time screening around the top of the break, or in the corner. Similar to Robinson, Queta was handed some freebies by smartly cutting to the basket with his hands up, as Tatum and Prichard collected defenders and dumped the ball off. Unlike Robinson, Queta was able to hit a deep 2, and a pretty paint floater. Queta has more finesse around the rim than he gets credit for and he can score a few different ways down there. There was one really awesome moment where Queta caught the ball at the 3 point line, and was able to drive all the way to the basket for the dunk. I think Queta can really surprise some people with his offensive versatility this season. One other note about the double big lineup, Queta only ended up with 1 rebound. There are a lot of good rebounders on this team, and it’s hard having multiple 10+ rebounders on the same team, Queta may be sacrificing on the boards to get his minutes.
Baylor Scheierman -
Baylor and Hauser sub in together. Again, I love Scheierman. He seems like the guy who's happy to take some bad shots at the end of shot clocks. I wouldn’t be surprised if his FG% takes a hit with him throwing up late in the clock floaters a few times a game just to try and salvage a broke play. I’m loving the hustle and energy from Scheierman, at one point he was first to the floor diving for the ball, and hits Tatum for an easy 2. He also had some really great defense. As someone who focuses on the end of the bench guys, and guys trying to make a roster, Scheierman does something I am always so curious other guys aren’t doing. He knows he’s probably getting 20 minutes max, why are you not busting ass in your short minutes? I’m looking at Amari Williams on the C’s right now, like I see guys in every Summer League and preseason walking the ball up the court, or not defending hard. These guys aren’t playing to be All Stars, they’re most likely low minute backups. There should be no conserving energy, go out there and bust ass for the 15 - 20 minutes you’re going to get. Unfortunately, Baylor and Hugo seemed to be playing opposite of each other, which negates the chemistry they clearly have.
Sam Hauser -
Hauser doesn’t take a shot until deep into the 3rd quarter and immediately drains a 3. He immediately goes for another and gets hit in the head, hitting all 3 free throws. Thats really great about Hauser, he doesn’t need to brick a few early so his shot is there late. He’s just always ready to drill one, even if he’s not getting fed the ball. Now, I’d say the big issue with the double big lineup was Hauser being unable to really move with the ball. There was one point where Hauser and Robinson couldn’t figure out what to do out by the 3 point line, and Charlotte had them cut off passing the ball back and forth. There was another play where Charlotte was able to isolate Hauser with the ball and he spent a bit too much time not being able to do anything with it. I think if they’re going to go double big, all 3 guys need to be able to shoot and handle. I’d probably make the lineup PP, White, Scheierman, Queta, and Robinson, if you’re going to insist on running it. Hauser provides the best spacing, but you're putting 3 guys on the floor who can’t really dribble/penetrate.
Luka Garza -
Luka had a slow 1st stint in the game, and honestly the dude had stitches in his face from the last game, I’d imagine he’s on some sort of painkiller. He does come back in late and seems like normal Garzilla. He immediately hits a 3 upon entering, and shortly after makes a great cut to the basket where Hugo finds him. He also just drew a shit ton of fouls right at the end. He ended the game with an insane 14 points in 13 minutes. Similar to my comments about Baylor, you know he’s only going to get 15ish minutes a night, and even some DNP’s. Play like an absolute animal in those minutes.
Hugo Gonzalez -
Hugo seems like the odd man out catching some support minutes here or there in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. He’s navigating screens really well on D. Like I mentioned before, just to get minutes in, it seems like he’s playing opposite of Scheierman. I’m not sure if Hugo even got a shot off until the 4th quarter, he’s definitely playing the support/defense/corner camper role. He does seem to have his head on a swivel though, guarding away from the ball. Once the starters sat he got the ball in his hands much more, and nailed his 1st shot of the game, a 3 pointer. Immediately on the next possession he hits Garza cutting to the rim, just a really heads up play. Shortly after he hits Dillon Mitchell for a dunk which was great to see.
Ron Harper Jr. -
Kind of a nothing burger from Harper, who gets on the court for the 1st time this preseason. He does turn it over by stepping outside, almost immediately, so not great.
Chris Cenac Jr. -
Cenac came in for the last 5 minutes or so almost just as a check in. I think I’ve figured out Cenac a little better this game. He’s been shooting 3’s pretty freely and I don’t think he’s hit one this preseason. This is going to sound arrogant of me, as I’m sure Cenac has much more qualified people guiding and coaching him, but it’s just what I’m seeing. It looks like Cenac has a really low start point for his jumper, bringing it down to guard level. I’m going to share this video of Garza hitting a 3 as well as Cenac by comparison. Garza sets his feet, and starts his shot above his waist, almost at just his chest, keeping the ball high. Cenac by comparison, is almost bringing the ball all the way to between his thighs, creating kind of a long windup. I'm not saying Cenac needs to master the no dip 3 pointer, but I feel like it would be a smoother and safer shot taking advantage of the fact that hes nearly 7 feet tall.
Cenac 3 pointer
Garza 3 pointer%20(Pritchard%209%20AST))
Dillon Mitchell -
Dillon Mitchell did more Dillon Mitchell stuff. The dude skied for a few dunks, and stayed ready to run in transition. I’d kind of love to see Mitchell playing next to George and White, just because of the number of transition opportunities he’d be able to capitalize on. He needs to take and make the occasional 3, though. I know it’s not his strong suit, but in a high stakes game, he’d be nearly unplayable being a wing who won’t shoot. He had a few openings to rip it from 3 and passed. Ultimately, they still got a good look, but he’s gotta take those.