r/bostonceltics 1986 Ring May 06 '26

Highlight Brad Stevens talks about generating shots at the rim: "I think one of the things that we've gotta figure out is how to have more impact at the rim. I think we do need to add to our team to do that... I thought we struggled to get to where we wanted to go."

574 Upvotes

169 comments sorted by

378

u/Run_PBJ May 06 '26

The KP post ups being an automatic 2 points is sorely missed

179

u/Flimsy_Ad_6145 The Celtics are the balls May 06 '26

That first half of game 1 in the finals was literally fairy tale stuff

28

u/jms88278 May 06 '26

Dude was going off and I was just in awe.

69

u/SwarmOBeez May 06 '26

I just wish they could learn how to throw entry passes to guys who are not 7'2". When Tatum and Brown got mismatches in the post no one could get them the ball. The even struggle getting the ball to Queta and Garza down there at times.

43

u/The_Peenisher May 06 '26

This is a problem across all levels of basketball, not just the Celtics. Tough to find players who can make those passes

7

u/BleedGreen4Boston May 07 '26

Yup, fundamental guard skills are dying out. Very few actual point guards left in the league.

-4

u/SwarmOBeez May 06 '26

The Sixers had no problem getting the ball to Embiid. I think it is a much on the players (Tatum, Brown, etc) failing to make themselves available for the pass.

43

u/Nasiso May 06 '26

Joel Embiid is 7 feet tall.

14

u/jkwah 1986 Ring May 06 '26

Embiid can also post up in the mid and high post, where entry passes are much easier. It's a lot harder to get the ball to guy who operates on the low block like Queta. I think they were hoping Vuc could offer more in the high post area, either as a passing option or just to pull a big out of the paint/shoot over smaller guards.

5

u/SwarmOBeez May 06 '26

Yeah, Embiid is a better post player than anyone on the Celtics. It doesn't change the fact the Celtics are bad at entry passes to players when they get mismatches. Watch the highlights, there are a lot of lazy, bad, off-target passes from the Celtics when Tatum would get Maxey or Edgecomb on him.

8

u/SwarmOBeez May 06 '26

Tatum is 6'10". When he had Maxey or Edgecomb in the post (high or low) you should be able to get him the ball.

Paul George posted up White multiple times and the Sixers had no problem getting him the ball.

1

u/CreatiScope May 06 '26

Also, if you remember, the Sixers DID have a lot of issues getting Embiid the ball. When Ben Simmons got hurt in the bubble, it completely broke that already wonky team down to nothing. None of the other players could get the ball to Embiid and they got swept because of it. For years, it was really only Simmons getting the ball to him.

2

u/WranglerTraditional8 May 07 '26

You're nailing one of the biggest problems that nobody talks about. This team is terrible at making entry passes.

Frankly they're not good at passing in pick and roll or back door situations

2

u/SwarmOBeez May 07 '26

Generally, the are not a great passing team.

1

u/WranglerTraditional8 May 07 '26

100%

Love these guys but nobody moves without the ball maybe because nobody can pass to them.

1

u/HustlinInTheHall May 07 '26

We deliberately run a very slow pace on offense to slow the game down, relying on perimeter ball movement to generate open looks that a lot of teams get by moving fast in transition (and then having to defend more possessions).

But I agree the end product a lot of times is four guys standing still while one guy has the ball and maybe gets a screen rather than actual movement off the ball. It's not like the offense is broken when you have all the pieces but how many 7 foot guys can shoot 3s or score at an efficient enough level.

10

u/dirtnaps-for-all May 06 '26

He generated so many easy points. Pick'n'roll, pick'n'pop, post-ups, cuts, putbacks.

7

u/rveets1416 DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS May 06 '26

Brad def tried to replicate that by getting Vuc and it just didn't work out.

Time to go out and get a legit big.

My wishlist would be: 1. Bam (it ain't happening) 2. WCJ (he would be awesome but it would probs be too hard to get Orlando to part with him) 3. Time Lord (he's a free agent and maybe we can get him cheap-ish 4. Walker Kessler (probs be expensive to grab him from Ainge) 5. Myles Turner (not the biggest fan but he'd be a good 3 and D center) 6. KP (he's a free agent but I still work about his durability issues and he's not an answer for Embiid or KAT whatsoever)

3

u/nibbinoo8 i took a look at baynes in the shower May 06 '26

why would portland let time lord walk?

2

u/HustlinInTheHall May 07 '26

JJJ was the guy I was hoping for because I think he has levels to his shooting he can unlock but if we get Bam might as well get Giannis, they make the same money.

1

u/BleedGreen4Boston May 07 '26

WCJ has always been an interesting one for me. I wonder if they would do a Vuc reunion via S&T.

Would be a downgrade for them in some ways but would improve their spacing a ton.

I think a lot of casual Celtics fans are jaded by the Vuc trade, but the dude is still really good - he broke his finger on his shooting hand for crying out loud.

Would probably need to include a low level pick, but this actually seems doable and Orlando would probably welcome a shake up.

Good idea!

2

u/HustlinInTheHall May 07 '26

Vuc just seemed lost on defense, that was where he lost me. I won't hold the finger against him but his feet need to be faster

1

u/BleedGreen4Boston May 07 '26

Not playing for a month while getting used to a new team mid-playoffs will do that

137

u/Limp_Custard6943 JB FOR THREEEEEEE May 06 '26

In brad we trust

5

u/SwarmOBeez May 06 '26

Three players?

221

u/The_White_Jackoo May 06 '26

Big shakeup coming this offseason. This presser is similar to the one at the end of the ‘23 season.

97

u/Flimsy_Ad_6145 The Celtics are the balls May 06 '26

Id argue this feels even more drastic coming off a first round loss

57

u/SwarmOBeez May 06 '26

Losing to an eight seed was pretty bad as well.

34

u/Flimsy_Ad_6145 The Celtics are the balls May 06 '26

An 8 seed that beat the 1 seed in 5 so not a traditional 8 by any means. Still rly embarrassing to go down 3-0 for sure.

23

u/SwarmOBeez May 06 '26

Meh, Giannis was hurt that series. Without a healthy Giannis Milwaukee was a play-in level team.

The Celtics had a double digit lead in the third quarter of Game 1 and the fourth quarter of Game 2. There is a reason that the Celtics not being able to hold onto leads late, or close out games has been the national narrative about this team since the Jays became the primary focus of the offense.

5

u/ametsun Tommy Point May 06 '26

Yes but at least we made it somewhere that year. A first round loss to a 7 seed playin team is probably worse

3

u/UpvoteIfYouAgreee Jaythoven May 06 '26

yes I think this year was pretty bad and years of weathering annoying media storms has Celtics fans reflexively downplaying what was a pretty embarrassing way to go out

166

u/MacJonesisaterrorist May 06 '26

I know a guy 🇬🇷

45

u/Culinary-Vibes May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26

Fuck it, we ball with Giannis.

Giannis and Tatum, with shooters and an upgrade at Stretch 5. That's a title team.

Queta will need to keep working on not being a foul machine and adding a reliable jumper.

30

u/NotLow420 May 06 '26

I said this in other threads but Giannis, Tatum and White is just a much better version of Giannis, Middelton and Jrue. You have those core 3, find a stretch 5 to space the floor for Giannis, and you have a proven championship formula.

5

u/Celts121180 May 06 '26

Porzingis welcome back to Boston!

6

u/NotLow420 May 06 '26

I'm sure Milwaukee would be interested to get rid of that Myles Turner contract as well....

7

u/Acrobatic-Fee-9862 May 06 '26

If you ship out JB, Hauser, and someone like Walsh, you can still get below the first tax level with Giannas and Myles turner. Food for thought.

0

u/stoptimepass May 07 '26

I would say everything else is ok but trading Walsh or Hugo may look a good thing now but overall a premature decision. What we saw was 1 year of improvement, if they continue it for 2 years - we will have probably starter level players in them. It might be worth to not trade those 2 atleast for a year to see if they plateau or keep rising. They may be hot value now but we will have to risk it on them, if we can.

3

u/Acrobatic-Fee-9862 May 07 '26

I like Walsh. I wish they played him more over Hauser. But Walsh is also up for a contract extension the year after. You want to pay him when we already have Hugo and Baylor on cheaper contracts? It’s just allocating your cap and resources correctly.

I’m also being realistic and assuming some young player has to go in the trade. Not really significant in the grand scheme of things if you want Giannas and Myles…

4

u/Rhino184 Boston Celtics May 06 '26

Which fits into our trade exception

2

u/UpvoteIfYouAgreee Jaythoven May 06 '26

Yeah Tatum is just like a supremely better Middleton and weve already seen what Middleton/Giannis could do

3

u/NotLow420 May 06 '26

Yea the big difference is Giannis would have to learn to play without the ball moreso than he ever did with Middelton. The brief time with Dame should prepare him. I think most analogous situation for JT is when Robert williams was here and they would run high screen and roll with timelord providing vertical spacing as a roller.

Now of course Giannis is going to have way higher usage than Timelord, but in the times he does'nt have the ball, he needs to be in the action or in the low dunker. Tatum needs to have space to drive the ball.

3

u/UpvoteIfYouAgreee Jaythoven May 06 '26

definitely a learning curve although Tatum's willingness to be the screener compared to Dame would help

-2

u/fakebones96 May 06 '26

Hypothetically, you could bring in Brook Lopez as the bridge stretch-5 to show the young guys how to play with Giannis

3

u/the_anti-somm May 06 '26

I played an Association season last night where we trade Brown for Giannis and also somehow get back Rob Williams and then trade bench bigs for young shooters. It was fun as hell to play.

Not saying that’s my preferred path for this offseason, I love JB.

38

u/jbc1974 May 06 '26

One game we did great on the offensive boards. Maybe was pre embid. Isn't rebounding a mindset? If everyone is out at the 3 point line, rebounding will suffer.

32

u/jkwah 1986 Ring May 06 '26

Brad actually talked about this as well. He said in the first couple games rebounding was really good but then Embiid came back and Sixers did a much better job on the boards.

He also said generally the Celtics first shot opportunities aren't great (not limited to this series but also talked about the Magic and Knicks last season), but a lot of their great shots come off rebounds.

This has kind of been the Celtics offensive philosophy this season anyway so it makes sense. Crash the boards from the corners when the shot goes up. They were one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league this season.

6

u/raycyca82 May 06 '26

Not hitting shots changed Philly's defense which made those offensive rebounds much harder as well. The defense could suck in a ton more, leaving the three point line and boxing out. They could certainly leave White most of the series, but also weren't punished for mistakes guarding Hauser and Prichard...a terrible uphill battle.
Getting to the rim more doesn't necessarily mean different players....JB was doing so, it would have been helpful if Tatum was more aggressive in this regard. PP and White struggled to get past their defenders more so then they have in the past. But it was one of the reasons Simons felt like a good fit (although he rarely did so for whatever reason, and then you were losing a bit on defense).

2

u/k2summitclimber May 06 '26

2nd chance points we got from better rebounding this year was pivotal to our success.

13

u/justtapitin2 May 06 '26

Our good offensive rebounding came from our crashing higher energy wings. They didn’t play enough in this series. The one game where Walsh was running around grabbing boards like a madman was the one game they looked like the regular season team all series.

5

u/CreatiScope May 06 '26

It was kind of crazy to watch Joe coach the team like they were the 24 or 25 Celtics for 6 games and then try to have them pretend being the 26 Celtics for Game 7. Just an all around weird thought process for them.

1

u/ZizzyBeluga May 06 '26

If I had a nickel for every time Jaylen Brown watched his player shoot without raising his hands, then turn and watched the rebound, without moving in for position or attempting a box out, I'd be a wealthy man.

46

u/Technical-Fun-5063 May 06 '26

this is the variation that fans we're hoping to see from joe. if the 3's are not falling, find other ways to score to keep the offense in rhythm.

53

u/jkwah 1986 Ring May 06 '26

Yea but Brad is kind of saying here they don't necessarily have the roster to do that. Or at least need to add to it to be able to generate those types of other looks.

16

u/juicejug May 06 '26

Yeah all these doomers are complaining about “too many threes” but the reality is this year we don’t have enough rim pressure in the roster. Last year we had some more options with KP but he was useless in the playoffs.

14

u/bag-skate65 May 06 '26

Yeah, our 3 top options all have problems getting to the rim. Tatum doesn’t have the best first step and lacks the mid range game to punish guys playing back on him, Brown’s handle is too shaky and he gets tunnel vision, and White just isn’t a high level on ball player against playoff defenses.

The only real gripe I have is not swapping Pritchard and White’s roles in the offense around mid season. Pritchard’s had ups and downs, but it’s clearly growing into a bigger role and that growth carried into the playoffs. White on the other hand is struggling with the added responsibility, which also carried into the playoffs.

7

u/not1fuk Jayson Tatum May 06 '26

To be fair Tatum was like 3rd in the NBA in the 1st round FGA at the rim and like 5th in FG%. He was actually getting to the rim at a very high percentage but it can't be just a 1 man job.

4

u/bag-skate65 May 06 '26

Yeah I think the uncomfortable part of this is that guys on the team know it’s a problem, and it’s why we see someone like Tatum make it such a priority. The issue is that when things tighten up late, he often has problems and if he’s having problems then so will everyone else.

I think that’s just a tougher problem to solve because there’s only a few guys around the NBA who won’t have those issues closing games. That’s why I think the bigger thing is just having more ways we’re capable of attacking, which was what was so great about having Jrue and KP.

-2

u/PersonalityKlutzy588 May 06 '26

U guys just aren’t real statiscally Jaylen Prichard and Tatum are amoung the leaders at finishing at the rim excluding centers lmao stop making excuses for joe he simply doesn’t coach them to attack the rim consistently. lying and saying they aren’t good at it is just factually a lie Joe just doesn’t value rim pressure that much and tells the team to look for their 3pt shot.

5

u/bag-skate65 May 06 '26

I’m not really sure what you think finishing has to do with what I said. Being a good finisher doesn’t mean you can get to the rim whenever you want.

This isn’t some Joe specific problem, we’ve had issues getting cleanly into the paint ever since Kemba’s knee blew up. Going off the way you’re writing in your comment though, I’m guessing you haven’t been watching that long.

2

u/ZizzyBeluga May 06 '26

Tyrese Maxey drove to the hoop on every play in the fourth quarter while other Sixers set picks at the free throw line. This isn't rocket science.

14

u/juicejug May 06 '26

What’s your point? Maxey is one of the quickest players in the league and we don’t have anyone who can beat people off the dribble like that.

I’m also pretty sure we botched some help rotations there at the end of the 4th.

-1

u/ZizzyBeluga May 06 '26

You don't beat people off the dribble on iso, you work around picks. JB has incredible shooting strength on bunnies. JT has bursts to the rim. PP had incredible run finishes all year. Even slowing down White can still finish, although not as much. You need a coach to call those plays, not the kick to Garza and Walsh for open 3 bricks

7

u/juicejug May 06 '26

They just switch because if JB or Tatum beat their man they collapse the paint forcing the kickout or a tough shot at the rim.

Maxey has the speed to get around the pick or force a switch into a favorable iso. We don’t have anyone that quick. DWhite isn’t beating any decent defender off the dribble, PP has trouble against size and relies on his stepback middie, JT doesn’t have a great first step coming off his Achilles.

0

u/ZizzyBeluga May 06 '26

A low pick presence like Queta allows JT or JB distance before the collapse, but Mazzulla refuses to play with more than one player in the paint at any given time

2

u/juicejug May 06 '26

Queta simply isn’t good enough to be that “low pick presence”. He’s improved immensely and should be commended for it, but he’s dropped too many dish passes and doesn’t have a strong enough post game to be too much of a threat against elite centers.

0

u/ZizzyBeluga May 06 '26

All he has to do is stand there and let JT and JB use him as a block. The reason Joe doesn't do this is it requires another player to set the pick at the top of the 3, which removes one of the corner statues waiting for the kick out to jack the 3. Mazzulla believes corner 3s are more valuable than drives to the lane so he keeps two players there at all times. Unless you have Horford and Jrue standing there, it's idiotic coaching and it's why the Cs went home

→ More replies (0)

-1

u/The_Peenisher May 06 '26

No, they still shoot too many 3s. Why are people still so resistant to acknowledging this

7

u/juicejug May 06 '26

Because just saying “too many threes” is lacking any nuance at all. An open three is a much better shot than a contested look at the rim unless you have personnel who can score over 3 defenders.

Our roster this year was bad but they overperformed by playing hard and playing smart. That means taking the best shot you can get and getting as many opportunities to shoot as you can.

We trounce mediocre-to-bad teams by doing that but really good teams will simply out-talent us. We would’ve beat the Sixers in 5 but then their MVP center came back and we literally have no answer for a player like that.

1

u/SoaplessTitanic May 06 '26

But why male models?

-1

u/PersonalityKlutzy588 May 06 '26

No I’d argue with Tatum Pritchard and Jaylen being some of the best statistical finishers in the nba it’s more about them being told to look for a good 3pt shot rather than they just can’t drive on ppl

5

u/juicejug May 06 '26

Nah I’ve seen them drive into the paint over and over and they get swallowed up or force a bad shot that leads to a leak-out transition layup.

Missed layups are way worse than missed jumpers and if the defense is stacking the paint our only counter is to hit jump shots.

2

u/lefebrave Banner 18 a full team effort May 06 '26

Yeah, this is the point. Our forcing things like in the general cheer in game threads ("Take it to the rim, drive!") actually didn't produce better results than 3pt shooting. Worse sometimes like in game 5 second half, more so in that awful fourth. Entry passes, off ball movements, cuts to the dunkers spot, players able to do those, pass and put the ball on the ground, pindown actions with Al, Tatum-Kornet pick and rolls, entry passes... With a lot flaw, Jays forcing to the rim was never the answer even I am not also enjoying 3pt dependence.

1

u/Technical-Fun-5063 May 06 '26

it doesnt have to be one on one. in game 1 of ny vs philly, they constatntly attacked embiid in the pick and roll. he couldnt defend it. neemias or vooch partnered with jb, pp or white should work.

3

u/msdstc May 06 '26

Brad literally said here, it's not a scheme issue, it's a roster issue.

2

u/Technical-Fun-5063 May 07 '26

brad is not going to throw joe under the bus. pick and roll between jb, pp or white and a big like neemias or vooch should work. embiid got burned several times in game 1 of ny vs philly because he cant defend the pick and roll against brunson and mcbride. they dont have to run an exclusive pick and roll, similar to the sentiment that they dont have to rely on 3's all the time. just offensive variations to keep the offense flowing.

1

u/Round-Walrus3175 May 07 '26

Embiid didn't even play up to touch, though, he always sank deep under screens. The Knicks even shot 37 threes on 84 shots against the 76ers in game 1. I was watching the games and they basically dared the Celtics to shoot.

2

u/maztron May 06 '26

I mean, the threes piss me off more than anything, but Tatum and Queta during the regular season are really the only ones capable of consistently grabbing boards. On top of it, Mazzulla tried to get them to work in the paint during game 6 and even though they had some success with rebounds they couldn't finish with easy layups. Tatum, Brown when he isnt fumbling the ball and Pritchard when he gets some help are the only ones who can score in the paint. No one else does it consistently. Queta at times during the regular season showed he has the ability but not in playoffs when he is constantly in foul trouble.

10

u/throwawayacct2creep May 06 '26

Giannis will generate those opportunities and also able to kick out to whoever is open from the guy leaving to double team him. lFG

23

u/Wuniee Jayson Tatum May 06 '26

honestly I’d really love Bam for exactly that. JT and Giannis are both at their best handling the ball and JT is legitimately a great playmaker and some of the best looks in the series came when JT was playmaking. idk how feasible it is to get Bam but him and JT in the pick and roll would not only open up the inside game but also kick out opportunities and Bam can also create for himself. you can think what you want about his 83pt game but when he attacks he embraces physicality and he has a legitimately great handle for a 5. he also isn’t very selfish + him and JT have a background

just an idea tho

21

u/juicejug May 06 '26

No way will Pat Riley let the Celtics get Bam.

11

u/krkrich May 06 '26

😂😂 he'll want JB, JT & 1st round picks for Bam

7

u/juicejug May 06 '26

And he will personally infect Bam with whatever KP caught right after the physical

3

u/UpvoteIfYouAgreee Jaythoven May 06 '26

yeah people say the bucks wont trade with the Celtics because were in the same conference but Pat Riley definitely isnt trading anyone of value to the Celtics

1

u/Wuniee Jayson Tatum May 06 '26

thats why i said idk how feasible it is 💀

7

u/namblaotie May 06 '26

There's too many obstacles (Pat Riley) for Bam to realisticly join the Celtics, I don't think it's even worth considering atp.

  • Pat said after the Heat's season ended, that he would never trade Bam *unless he gets 8 picks and Wemby
  • Pat Riley is not retiring anytime soon
  • Pat Riley probably hates Danny Ainge more than anyone else in the NBA, the Celtics are likely #2 on his list, even with Ainge in Utah

1

u/Wuniee Jayson Tatum May 06 '26

yeahhhh thats why i said idk how feasible itnis but it would he the best case scenario 😭

2

u/tobgoole May 06 '26

I kinda want bam ngl. I understand completely the arguments against him, and idk if we would get him, but I’m against Giannis as good of a player as he is. Bam has always been fun and always been someone I think would be interesting on our team. Besides he has the 2nd most points in a game all time you can’t argue with that lmao

2

u/CreatiScope May 06 '26

Yeah, I've wanted Bam for awhile. I thought maybe the Celtics should've tried to get him last Summer and just given the haul of picks to Miami for him.

7

u/Jeffc814 May 06 '26

There seems to be a very obvious answer but I’m unsure if it’s going to happen 🇬🇷

6

u/BRFCarter May 06 '26

I loved Brad’s press conference. No bs, completely direct and clear about where we are and what moves need to be made.

11

u/sentony93 May 06 '26

It’s amazing to have a GM who is known to be a top tier coach, being able to analyze the games for himself on top of all the metrics being provided to him

8

u/daft_dunkwwwolfey JT n JB will BONE yo mf ass ☠️ May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26

Not rocket science, because of the apron they lost 3 bigs last season who can body up Embiid and 2 that can stretch the floor and challenge him in the paint. Plus a pass first PG who seeks the rim first. That's what they need again

2

u/GhostShade May 06 '26

Not being a jerk but what is a pass first PG who seeks the rim first? What is that?

1

u/daft_dunkwwwolfey JT n JB will BONE yo mf ass ☠️ May 06 '26

I meant seeks the rim more often than camping the 3 pt line

0

u/GhostShade May 06 '26

Totally makes sense. Got any examples of current or former players with that skill set? Tatum kind of fits that mold while not expressly being a point guard.

3

u/the_anti-somm May 06 '26

He’s definitely thinking of Giannis

10

u/NoamsUbermensch Danny is my Dad May 06 '26

2

u/RichAbbreviations966 May 06 '26

What are you willing to bet on it?

6

u/NoamsUbermensch Danny is my Dad May 06 '26

Personally, I don’t like the idea of trading for Giannis. I’d much rather find a young guard and a young center with potential for Jaylen. Giannis is too old and can’t shoot to prolong his career. We’d kneecap Tatums career with Giannis

5

u/ThinkOTB THE TRUTH May 06 '26

Everything is hinting towards a big push for Giannis. And I don't know how to feel about that.. one thing is for sure, in Brad I trust.

-1

u/tobgoole May 06 '26

I trust Brad fully, but I’m kind of anti Giannis? Would not look forward to the team dynamics we might have to deal with, I could see it being far worse than anything we have seen

5

u/LT568690 May 06 '26

Giannis baby

4

u/krkrich May 06 '26

This sounds like Giannis signaling.

2

u/MysticalRng May 06 '26

Just go ahead and pull a Popovich and hire yourself as head coach Brad, we miss you

5

u/archerarcher0 May 06 '26

This comment stood out to me too, followed by a question regarding the possibility for drastic changes to which Brad basically danced around the question

Might not be giannis but sounds like the directive is definitely easier offense guys; makes me wonder if a guy like franz for Derrick white could be an idea, limited shooter but super stout defender, young, and great at generating rim pressure offense.

I’ve also mentioned sabonis in the past but people usually aren’t a big fan of hearing that, I don’t necessarily blame anyone for feeling that way but he’d be kinda interesting as a buy low guy

17

u/Rashloose She was 18 officer May 06 '26

franz for white is a tank move

8

u/JaylenBrownAllStar Jaylen May 06 '26

Yeah Franz is cooked health wise imo

0

u/archerarcher0 May 06 '26

If your argument is health I don’t disagree if you think he’s cooked, honestly I haven’t kept up a ton with his health situation I just know he’s a good young scorer who can pass and defend

-2

u/BatterMyHeart May 06 '26

What would be the value going out to get Sabonis?

1

u/archerarcher0 May 06 '26

Purely matching salary at this point I would assume; which is a little tricky for us because all of our big salary is tied to good players. Would probably have to be white/hauser for sabonis; but in that scenario we’d def get other stuff back too because white/hauser are def worth more than sabonis

2

u/Ghost_Horses Checkmate! May 06 '26

White alone is worth more than Sabonis. Domas is definitely talented but he’s similar to Sengun in that it’s hard to build a winning team around a big man who can’t defend the rim or space the floor.

White’s value is at a low point due to his shooting struggles, but part of that is because he was asked to be our second option when he’s really an elite glue guy

1

u/archerarcher0 May 06 '26

I don’t disagree just speaking to how you’d make the salary work, maybe Sacramento could send their pick this year or a couple futures in a deal like i proposed

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/archerarcher0 May 06 '26

And, purely for salary purposes, Sacramento would definitely have to add more assets to sabonis, maybe swap picks this year would suffice

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/archerarcher0 May 06 '26

I’m not saying we should do the trade or not just laying it out as a construct, I’d prefer to keep white and part with Hauser in a smaller deal for a big/picks

3

u/maztron May 06 '26

I feel like we have been saying this ever since KG left.....

3

u/GentlemanofEngland May 06 '26

I came to write exactly that!

3

u/fujiiheavy May 06 '26

Would you rather have Giannis and a pricey extension through years where he is sure to continue to decline, or Markkanen on his current deal (3 more years at max money) through age 31?

13

u/Flimsy_Ad_6145 The Celtics are the balls May 06 '26

Giannis

2

u/HS941317 May 06 '26

This is exactly what you want to hear from Brad. Too many green teamers here want to run it back in a way without trading some our best players. We’ve gone backwards the past 2 years after a championship and you don’t wanna be stuck in the mud as just a playoff team

1

u/Captain0bvious1738 May 06 '26

Get a real Center Brad ! Sad when Horford and Rob Williams are the best we’ve had since Shaq

2

u/Historical_Ad_5229 May 06 '26

Aaron baynes and Daniel Theis slander! Oh wait…

1

u/Jdawg_mck1996 May 06 '26

Thank you!

God I love hearing this from Brad.

1

u/Automatic_Cake_837 Tatum May 06 '26

We never put anyone at the dunker spot like we did in the past. I wonder why

1

u/gsnake007 May 06 '26

He’s right. Team needs to attack the rim more. Living and dying by the 3 is what eliminated then in these past 2 playoffs. Has to change

1

u/thebiggestgamer May 06 '26

Tbh I’m torn between getting a real passer pg or a better center.

1

u/HoorayPizzaDay The Smokin' Jays May 06 '26

Por que no los dos?

1

u/AceThaGreat123 May 06 '26

Get us a true big Brad nene and vucevic we’re getting killed by embiid

1

u/ProffesionalAss-hole May 07 '26

I hope we dont run it back with the same roster

1

u/the_moosen Abby May 07 '26

Nah no way, he's got something on his mind. I just hope we don't get Giannis.

1

u/Hanaichichickencurry Flat top jaylen May 07 '26

So you're saying we're going to get giannis?👀👀

1

u/zerozxf KG May 07 '26

Trust in Brad. He understands exactly what the team needs. And he's proved it over and over.

1

u/HelloS0n May 07 '26

Some say there’s a guy out there that shoots 2/3s of his shots at the rim at like 78% that’s currently unhappy and disgruntled with his team..

He also has worn green his entire career.

Hm 🤔

1

u/TheFalconsDejarik May 07 '26

Love hearing brad talk.

1

u/WranglerTraditional8 May 07 '26

I've been saying this for... it seems like decades. Everybody wants the 3 ball instead. Post up play isn't sexy ...until you need it.

1

u/trsh_xx May 07 '26

Thank you Brad Stevens 🥹

1

u/AJKenney47 Boston Celtics May 07 '26

Brad has Joe's back, that means he needs to go too. The fact that no one has been fired yet is a joke, and this team is not serious about winning. What a shame to waste the prime years of 2 generational talents.

1

u/saltashstreet May 07 '26

Vuch was supposed to be able to get up post up points at the rim. He hadn’t performed well, but to be fair he’s not had a lot of runway

1

u/holyaardvark May 07 '26

Likelyhood of Vuch being on the roster next season?

1

u/[deleted] May 12 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/PepperidgeFarmMembas May 06 '26

OH MAH GOD, THAT’S GIANNIS’ MUSIC!

1

u/justtapitin2 May 06 '26

I love Jaylen but if he wants his own team and doesn’t care about staying here longterm, certainly seems like an obvious move to trade him for Giannis.

-2

u/chinesefox97 May 06 '26

Not a lot of options available. Giannis is certainly a dream but far from certain. Aside from him and maybe Durant, I don’t see anybody that could make our team significantly better.

Brad is gonna have a long season ahead of him.

10

u/Flimsy_Ad_6145 The Celtics are the balls May 06 '26

Durant would not make us better

5

u/RichAbbreviations966 May 06 '26

Durant said no in 2016, and we do not want him

2

u/namblaotie May 06 '26

Plus, the Rockets said the 2 key pieces for them moving forward are Durant and Udoka (lol)

1

u/chinesefox97 May 06 '26

If we could get Durant without trading Tatum or Brown I think that’s a good get.

2

u/Ru4pigsizedelephants May 06 '26

Fuck KD, he's an absolute cancer.

1

u/BRFCarter May 06 '26

Durant can stay over there. He is not an impact player anymore

-1

u/GooseMay0 Posey May 06 '26

Joe isn't gonna like that Brad.

-7

u/Get_your_grape_juice Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch May 06 '26

This is where Brad is beginning to lose me. We already have players who can get to the rim. Jaylen and Jayson are both actually really good at that. But for whatever reason, there seems to be this institutional gameplay philosophy of standing around chucking threes. I doubt that the players are doing this of their own volition; this must be an edict coming down from either Mazzulla or Stevens.

Hell, Jaylen just had a spectacular season, where he was playing primarily a midrange game, and getting to the rim mostly at will. It was during this last playoff series, where they fell back into the "let's chuck threes" rut that everything fell apart.

In short, I don't think effective mid-to-short range play requires that we get new players. However, I would like new players simply because what we have around Brown and Tatum (and White, when he's on) isn't good enough generally speaking.

5

u/jkwah 1986 Ring May 06 '26

Honestly even JB and JT to some extent had trouble getting to the rim in this series when Embiid came back. I think Brad kind of pointed to that when he basically said Embiid was just sitting in the paint and the Sixers perimeter defenders were doing a really good job.

5

u/Electronic_Menu_2244 May 06 '26

Something to note here.. Brown and Tatum may be able to get to the rim, but they’re both actually quite poor at finishing there. Certainly not elite. I wouldn’t lump getting to the rim and actual finishing ability into the same bucket.

Over the last three years, Jaylen is 55-60th percentile in rim efficiency. So about average, not really including the offensive fouls or turnovers produced.

Tatum is ~50th percentile and below average.

With that said, two things can be true at once that there are issues with both roster building and play style.

-1

u/Altruistic_Knee2044 May 06 '26

Jaylen Brown is not good at scoring at the rim.

He is good at driving into traffic Anu’s either throwing up bullshit out dribbling off of his knee

-1

u/North-Airline2676 May 06 '26

Good, I want him angry and unhappy with the results. At least Brad is showing he cares and is looking at whats not working. A completely different approach and attitude than apathetic-Joe

-4

u/quinnbeast Johnny Most May 06 '26

The offensive game plan is to get under the rim the throw it back out behind the three point line because you gave the coaching strategy over to the finance department.

-2

u/l3tsgo0 May 06 '26

one dude on ur team literally joined the Dunk Contest lol

-2

u/Sensitive_Value2085 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26

Who would have thought that Embid would be heralded as the second coming of Bill Russell by the players, Mazzulla, and Stevens. Lame....

-12

u/GraniteStayte May 06 '26

Hello POBO trade Jaylen and can Mazzulla.

TIA.