BOSTON — After two straight games of ugly three-point shooting, the Boston Celtics hit the refresh button on Wednesday night. And unfortunately for the Chicago Bulls, they were on the receiving end of it.
Led by a barrage of buckets from Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics mollywhopped the Bulls at TD Garden, entering the All-Star break on the perfect note.
But perhaps more importantly, Nikola Vucevic looked more comfortable than ever.
1. Nikola Vucevic’s defense
Obviously, the offense Vucevic brought to the table was the most notable part of his game. His threes, dimes, and pick-and-roll buckets were beautiful. And we’ll get to that.
But the real magic happened on the defensive end.
In his first two games as a Celtic, it was clear that Vucevic hadn’t gotten used to Boston’s defensive scheme. He was late in rotations, up at the level of screens when he should have been in drop, and just looked a step slow in a lot of situations.
This is the type of play where Boston’s bigs usually step up. Davion Mitchell beats Hugo Gonzalez on the drive, but Vucevic is late to contest.
On Wednesday, he looked like a new man.
Look how quickly Vucevic recognized the situation here. He was ready to help, saw Guerschon Yabusele get a step on Derrick White, and immediately shifted over into the paint.
Having a full practice with the team on Tuesday certainly helped Vucevic get up to speed.
“It helped a lot, finally to have the time to go through stuff,” Vucevic said post-game. “Little more detailed, more reps. That always helps. Before that, I had walked through with the coaches, played through shoot around, and then it was just a lot at once.”
The Celtics’ defensive schemes are far different from the Bulls’, and getting a chance to practice them in a live-action setting was a huge help.
“I think it’s just our system in general, having an understanding of it,” Joe Mazzulla said. “We were able to slow down and just practice it. And I think nothing beats that like getting on the court and being able to go live versus each other, versus players, and be in those positions.
“He worked his ass off from an individual film standpoint, and walkthroughs, and stuff like that, but nothing beats just getting on the court. So, just understanding the positioning of what we do on both ends of the floor, and I thought he kind of took advantage of that tonight.”
2. Nikola Vucevic’s offense
The most undoubtedly impressive part of Vucevic’s offensive game against the Bulls was his screening. In his first two games in Boston, he was slipping on almost everything. As a result, ball-handlers got almost no separation. Maybe this was by design, but regardless, he wasn’t holding his screens.
That changed on Wednesday.
He stood his ground for much longer on screens, giving Boston’s stars more space to work with. Here, it led to an open middy for Brown.
But Vucevic was more than a screener against Chicago.
His work in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop situations was perfect. Whatever the Bulls’ defense gave him, he took. And he made them pay.
If they doubled Pritchard on a drive? He’d pop out for an open three.
If they sent their big up to the level of the screen? He rolled hard and found an easy bucket in the restricted area.
Vucevic was an integral part of the Celtics’ offense against the Bulls. He finished the game with 19 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two blocks while shooting 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from deep.
The big man has meticulously studied film ever since he joined the Celtics, and that hard work is paying off.
“He prepares,” Mazzulla said. “I don’t know what he does at home. He’s got a wife and kids, so I hope he’s spending time with them. But he cares about the details, he cares about wanting to get it right, and wants to win. So, I trust the process of his preparation.”
3. Nikola Vucevic’s passing
Vucevic’s passing skills were so impressive on Wednesday that they earned their own section.
He whips the ball around with unbelievable precision, and having that type of passing presence in the middle of the floor has given the Celtics’ offense an immediate lift.
Jordan Walsh, in particular, is a huge fan of Vucevic’s presence.
“I love playing with Vooch,” Walsh said. “Every time he touches the ball, I’m just cutting, and he’s looking every time, so it’s great. So, it’s a way to kind of get involved in the offense without having the ball in your hands, and it’s super good to have a guy to facilitate that and also stretch the floor and do so many things.”
That’s exactly what happened.
Having a big man who is such a willing and capable passer will give the Celtics a lot more offensive freedom (and potentially even add to their playbook).
4. Jordan Walsh’s everything
Walsh got an early chance in this game when Gonzalez missed a defensive rotation (and then a kick-out pass), and he made the most of it.
The Celtics forward did a little bit of everything, but his defensive intensity and offensive rebounding stood out the most.
He checked former Celtic Anfernee Simons full-court, and at one point, he stripped him by the halfway line, drove all the way down to the other end of the floor, and threw down a monster dunk.
“When we’re on the court, obviously, he’s my enemy,” Walsh said. “I don’t feel like I destroyed him, but I definitely got a little lick back, for sure. But yeah, outside of the game, it was good to see him.”
Then, as the game went on, he attacked the offensive dunk with ferocity.
He had a pair of put-back dunks late in the contest, which is something Walsh is always keeping an eye out for.
“Honestly, I just run to the rim every time, and I hope it comes my way,” Walsh said. “And then, if it’s anywhere near me, I have a chance to get it. But definitely once it’s like a soft touch on the rim, and I see it bouncing around, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I can get this one.’ But it really just starts with me just running in every single time trying to get whatever there is.”
And how often is Walsh crashing?
“As many times as I can. Until I’m tired.”
5. Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard’s buckets
