The Celtics dropped their third consecutive game on Monday, falling to 2-5 on the season, and veteran guard Marcus Smart expressed some frustration in his media session following the loss to Chicago. As Brian Robb of MassLive.com details, Smart called out teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown when discussing the club’s ineffective late-game offense.
“I would just like to play basketball,” Smart said. “Every team knows we are trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen and every team is programmed and studies to stop Jayson and Jaylen. I think everybody’s scouting report is to make those guys try to pass the ball. They don’t want to pass the ball and that’s something that they’re going to learn.”
Smart added that the team is “proud of the progress” Tatum and Brown have made. However, he suggested the two young stars need to develop further as play-makers for others, rather than just looking to create their own shots.
“It’s something that we’ve been asking for them to do and they’re learning,” Smart said. “We just got to continue to help those guys do that and to help our team.”
The Celtics made a head coaching change over the offseason, with Brad Stevens moving to the front office and hiring Ime Udoka as his replacement. A highly-regarded assistant who is getting his first head coaching opportunity, Udoka may need to make some adjustments to a Boston offense that currently ranks 19th in the NBA.
“There’s only so much I can do without the ball in my hands, I’m just standing in the corner,” Smart said, per Robb. “We’re running plays for our best players, every team knows that. They do a good job of shutting that down. We can’t allow that. When they shut that down, we can’t keep trying to go to those guys. We gotta avoid that and find another way to give them the ball in the spots where they need the ball.
“Like I said for me, I can only do so much just standing there in the corner or when I give the ball away. I do everything I can on the other end to try to combat that. I try to talk, I try to make plays, get those guys the ball where they need it, where they want it.”
As Robb details, Brown declined to speak to reporters after Monday’s game. Tatum wasn’t scheduled to meet with the media.
He’s probably right but trying to make a showboat move against Vucevic and losing the ball isn’t going to inspire your teammates to pass to you
Marcus Smart is shooting 29.3% from the field. Maybe he should work on his game before criticizing the two Jays?
Media just needs to relax. Watch the full video. Should Smart have said what he said to the media instead of his coach/teammates? Probably not, but maybe he already did too, who knows. Listen to what he said, he’s not wrong. The C’s keep blowing leads like they did last night because they stop moving the ball around offensively and start playing iso ball. You’d think after the first couple of times they’d learn the lesson. Everyone on that team is a professional athlete that is capable of hitting the open shot, so put it in the hands of the guy that has the cleanest look or at least CREATE space instead of forcing up jumpers in the 4th quarter. Drive the lane, take the two. Literally do anything else that isn’t forcing a jumper in iso and then not covering the fast break, which you know they’re going into up-tempo because you know, they’re down 15 in the 4th.
I’m with Smart 100% here. Feels like Brown and Tatum are entitled to this team because that’s what everyone has been saying. Well from a Boston fan, if you’re as good as everyone says you are then why are you 2-5? Put up 20–30 points each night, go ahead do it and make your millions elsewhere if it means blowing double digit 4th quarter leads ROUTINELY. As much as it doesn’t seem like it, basketball is still a team sport. I would break a players kneecap for my teammate in my men’s baseball league… start playing for each other instead of yourself. I’m with Smart (who was absolutely NOT saying pass me the rock so I can ball)
Tatum is a great player, but you can tell when he gets frustrated in the 4th. He start forcing everything, head down, and taking bad shots. And when the other team forces him to pass, he just lobs up something soft. I’m not sure the stats will back me up, but it seems like he has missed a lot of game winning or game tying shots at the end of regulation.
Tatum is a great talent — when/if he will become a great player is TBD.
Tatum and Brown, hired their coach so I suppose it entitles them to shoot any time
Lol
smart is one of the most ignorant players in the league. i like his game, but nothing worthwhile ever comes out of his mouth. typical for today’s nba tho
Funny that Smart complains the wings don’t pass the ball enough, he may be right, of course… but seriously Smart played 33 minutes as the PG & gave the grand total of 0 assists, yeah 0, a big fat 0… so maybe if he passes more & shoots less which he can’t do but keeps on doing it, maybe the wings will pass more as well, right?
BOS so far has been an unmitigated disaster, the only redeeming point being big Al, the dude is such a legend, coming form my POP, Dominicano… pues claro que si!
scoring 2 pts in 5.5 minutes starting the 4th isn’t gonna do any team good. move the ball.
Celtics gotta move on with Smart and turn the page.
Getting Al Horford, and the dlcontonied development of certain guys, was supposed to help with the ball movement and spacing, but b/c the rotations have been just as bad as last year, and certain guys havent played/played in the right positions, it hasnt changed anything. Enough with the multibig lineups, and maybe try putting your shooters around those guys, and thos wouldn’t be an issue.
The Bulls play good TEAM defense when they have to and the Celts seemed like they thought they were going to run away with the game and started going for stats at the wrong time. Turned a 19 point lead into a 14 point loss. Dosunmu just walked into the league and started playing great D against good players. Coby White is available if you have a spare PF laying around. LOL
Marcus Smart is right Brown and Tatum do need to pass out of isos and double teams. However Smart should be coming off the bench. They need a real point guard. Rubio shouldn’t take too much to get in a trade and he’s a pretty good fit. There’s no reason a team with this much talent should be struggling.
It’s possible that a team’s roster has to be discounted (at least to some degree) if the offensive skill sets of its best players are too similar. In today’s NBA, teams don’t trade players like Tatum and Brown to improve their team (only when they demand a trade or there’s a contract issue). So, the answer lies in working with it. It’s up to their new young HC to either embrace the challenge and give the team their best chance at greatness, or play CYA and give himself the best chance to stay employed. The betting line favors the latter.
lol… I suspect that Udoka has them too fired up about their own greatness, about how close they are to widespread recognition. If so, it will be tough for him to change the tone. And Udika is who he is, very firm.