The Boston Celtics are one of the most successful teams in NBA history, with 17 championships to their name, making them the kings of the NBA. But in recent years, their style of play has caused a lot of controversy, as they rely heavily on three-point shooting and have even set some surprising records.
Currently, the Celtics are averaging 42He leads the league in seven three-point attempts, far more than any other team. While the Celtics have enjoyed tremendous success with this style of play and hold the league's best record, many still doubt that the style can be sustained in the long term.
Next, we'll dive into the Celtics' three-point shooting trends and ultimately judge whether they're shooting too many three-pointers.
First, it's important to understand why the Celtics are so keen on shooting three-pointers, which is inseparable from the system created by their head coach Mazzulla.
This system emphasizes three-point shooting, quick ball transfer, and finding open shots by attracting double packs. In Mazzulla's opinion, the number of three-point shots is not too much. Mazzulla's style is heavily influenced by data analysis, and he places a high value on the extra points that come with three-point shots, especially when it comes to closing the gap.
And the Celtics, with their players' excellent sense of space, fit this style of play perfectly. Their starting five are all players who can shoot three-pointers, and they can score from any position, putting a lot of pressure on opponents' defenses.
In addition, Mazzulla also focused on attracting opponent doubles, which helped the Celtics get more open shots from the outside. The Celtics rank seventh in the league in the number of three-pointers shot per game in large open positions. Holiday and White and Al Horford were the players with the most open three-point attempts, while the other players were responsible for attracting the duo.
It's worth mentioning that while the Celtics lead the league in three-point attempts, no player is in the top 10 for three-pointers per game. Tatum is the closest, averaging 8The fact that he made two three-pointers ranked 12th in the league highlights the teamwork and selflessness of the Celtics.
Ultimately, whatever you think of Mazzulla and his style of play, it's hard to deny what he's achieved with his team. The Celtics are shooting 38 from three-point range this season4%, ranking sixth in the league. Their goal difference is 93 points, ranking first in the league. They have a win rate of 76%, which is also the best in the league.
As mentioned earlier, the Celtics are averaging 42He led the league in seven three-point attempts. However, it is worth noting that they are the bottom of the league in the number of two-point shots made. In addition, while the Celtics rank fourth in the league in over-the-arc shooting percentage, they rank only 26th in shots made from the basket per game. February** Dynamic Incentive Program These stats reveal a problem: the Celtics' offense lacks balance.
Good teams tend to be able to beat their opponents with a variety of tactics and a more balanced shot selection. And the Celtics' unbalanced shooting tendencies are especially lethal in key moments of the game, as their offense becomes easier to be cracked by opponents.
In fact, one of the Celtics' biggest strengths is their all-around strength, but to play to that strength, they need to be more balanced in their shooting options.
The Celtics' starting five are all masters of offense under the basket, and they could have scored more points with more offense, especially when they don't have a good touch from the outside. The Celtics relied too heavily on three-point shooting, and a lot of times they were reluctant to break to the basket. Much to the frustration of many Celtic fans as they didn't seem to be flexible in adjusting their tactics to the situation of the game.
The Celtics rank second in the league for three-point attempts made in interference situations, but only rank 26th for open two-point shots, which is clearly unreasonable. The Celtics should prioritize finding open shots on the court instead of just obsessing over three-pointers. It is worth mentioning that Tatum and Jaylen Brown have the highest frequency of interfered three-point shots on the team, even close to the top of the league.
Overall, yes, the Celtics did shoot too many three-pointers. While this style of play has been effective at some point, increasing shot options and offense under the basket will be of great benefit to the Celtics, especially in the playoffs.
Fortunately, this doesn't require a drastic change. It would be a significant improvement if the Celtics could take near the league average in shots from under the basket and finish in the top 20 for overall two-point shooting.
In the upcoming games, we will keep an eye on the changes in the Celtics' three-point shooting and under-the-basket shots.