Down a pair of key players on Wednesday vs. Philadelphia, the Celtics got a boost from Derrick White – who scored 27 points – and Al Horford, who contributed 14 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks while playing strong defense against Joel Embiid, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
As Bontemps notes, White and Horford have taken a step back in the Celtics’ pecking order this season due to the offseason acquisitions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. But with Porzingis and Jaylen Brown unavailable vs. the Sixers, White and Horford provided a reminder of their importance to the club.
“That’s the luxury that we have on our team,” Jayson Tatum said. “We have so many talented guys.”
It was a big night for Horford, in particular. While White has remained a permanent starter for the Celtics even after the offseason roster changes, Horford has been asked to come off the bench on a regular basis for the first time in his career. Coming into this season, he had been a reserve in just 10 of 1,013 regular season games. He has started only three of 10 this fall.
“We were we down a couple of guys so having to step up and create a spark plug was important for me to do,” Horford said, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “I feel like that’s kind of been what I do for the most part, if I have to guard in the perimeter, if I have to guard in the post, create energy in different ways, shoot threes. I’m trying to do whatever I can to help our group.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- While Gary Trent Jr. (foot) is expected to suit up for the Raptors on Friday after missing the club’s last three games, forward OG Anunoby is listed as doubtful. As Josh Lewenberg of TSN tweets, Anunoby – who has been out for the past two games – received stitches on his lacerated right index finger and can still only shoot and dribble with his left hand.
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic doesn’t believe that the Raptors‘ decisions to give up a top-six protected first-round pick for Jakob Poeltl and then to sign him to a four-year, $78MM contract were bad ones in isolation, given that Poeltl is a quality NBA starting center. However, Koreen suggests that Poeltl’s fit with Toronto’s other frontcourt pieces hasn’t exactly been seamless so far. The team has a -9.9 net rating when Poeltl, Pascal Siakam, and Scottie Barnes have shared the court this season.
- Sixers forward Nicolas Batum, who has been away from the team for personal reasons, is out for Friday’s game in Atlanta but will likely be back for Sunday’s contest in Brooklyn, tweets Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Mark Jackson had been expected to call some Knicks games for MSG Network this season, but it seems that won’t happen after all, according to Andrew Marchand of The New York Post. Knicks management objected to having Jackson travel on the team plane, Marchand explains, in part due to an old “quarrel” between the former Warriors head coach and current Knicks assistant Darren Erman, who worked under Jackson in Golden State and recorded meetings without Jackson’s knowledge.
White is playing the most minutes per game of his career. Not sure how that equates to him taking a “step back in the Celtics pecking order”
Usage rate is lowest since his rookie year.
Usage rate is a frivolous stat. Mins played means you are out there. Therefore can affect the game anytime. Of course Jrue, Jalen, Jason, KP will get more touches. There are guys like Mitch (when he wants to). That have no usage rate. Yet affect the game as much as any Knick. That’s mins played …….
Crazy that this Darren Erman guy is still in the NBA after recording meetings without consent.
It’s the Knicks. James Dolan and anyone he likes gets away with all kinds of shady sh*t. There are like five different kinds of active lawsuits regarding his actions with entrance MSG alone, iirc, and he’s doubling down on or denying everything. Not one ounce of honesty in that man. As a Clevelander, we’re familiar with his family and their bs.
Not the Knicks it’s Dolan. We in NY think the Knicks are our team ….. we do t a shhh about Dolan.
TOR’s problem is not Poeltl, really. It’s the combination of Siakam and Barnes with any real C. I’ve been saying this since before last season. Last season showed the answer isn’t to go without a C. I get where Ujiri is coming from. He has an idea that’s not working out. But he thinks its such a good idea that the reasons for it not working must be minor and easily correctable. So he tinkers. Fire the coach; add different players around them; talk about heart; etc. At some point he has to realize the guy in the mirror that he’s adored for decades can be wrong.
Agreed, seems like ever since Kawhi left all the Raptors try to do is run a bunch of 6’6-6’9 forwards together. He’s taken position less basketball to whole new level.
However I think what it’s shown is you have struggles with spacing, lack of fluidity, lack of toughness and cohesion.
It would be nice to see Pascal moved on as it seems he’s just an overstayer from the previous teams. They need to embrace they new era and just let Scottie and OG run the forward spots.
Pascal would still get you a great return and if anything makes you better now and in the long run.
I’d love him on my Sixers for say Tobias Harris and a couple firsts but I don’t see that happening. I think if your the Raptors ideally your getting back a guard.
I’d say it’s very very unlikely but I’d love to see ATL go all out on defence and do something like this
Trae Young and Bojan for Pascal Siakim, Gary Trent Jr and 3 firsts
Trae Dennis OG Scottie Poeltl. They need a shooter like Trae with that elite guard play. Bogan off the bench aswell he’s tough.
ATL would also be so good Murray GTJ Hunter Pascal Capela, Mills Bufkin Griffin Johnson Onyeka plus future first round picks.
6 games for Batum missed for personal reasons. Didn’t have this problem before the trade.