Celtics want to be trap-proof
Five months ago today, Jayson Tatum had an impromptu knighting
The dubber was LeBron James, who actually gave Tatum two names that day during an Instagram post that showed both waiting to check-in during the Celtics’ narrow loss to the Lakers: ABSOLUTE PROBLEM and #YoungKing .
he Lakers blitzed Tatum whenever he touched the ball, and he scored 41 points, anyway. The next four opponents blitzed Tatum, too, and he scored 32 or more each time. Overall he scored 30 or more in seven of his last 10 games played.
But as the Celtics re- emerge Friday at 5 p.m. with their first live action since the shutdown with a scrimmage against Oklahoma City, their goal is to take some of the pressure off their young star.
Their goal is to make sure KembaWalker, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart do enough to break up those traps.
“We should be a hard team to blitz,” said Brad Stevens. “It’s all gonna be about when we’re being blitzed, the recognition of the person with the ball and the spacing around the ball of the people around the ball. If both of those things are good, we should really be a hard team to blitz.
“We have bigs who can finish above the rim on lobs when they get out of there, they can all pass from the middle of the court, and the guards can all play,” he said. “And when it’s playing four-on-three out of a blitz, our guards should all be able to take advantage of that. But we have to be ready. The person being blitzed has to be ready and the people around them have to be spaced well.”
This is where Walker will especially make himself known between now and October. Knee trouble wiped out a good portion of his winter, just when Tatum was taking off. But now’s the time, he understands, to complement the young careers of Tatum and Brown while also providing his own singular impact.
“I knew what I was getting myself into when I came here,” said Walker. “I knew how much room for improvement these guys had, and those two guys are great talents. It’s not a problem for me at all.
“I know I’m being part of the growth. It’s fun. We’re playing fun basketball,” he said. “I’ve been averaging 20-plus points for the last couple of years, so it’s not a problem for me at all. I just want to get to the playoffs and make a run through the playoffs. That’s my main focus. I could care less about points and stuff like that at this point.
“Everybody knows what they’re going to get from me on a nightly basis. It’s about those guys, it’s about those guys and their growth, it’s about them getting better. Me and Gordon are the two guys who are going to help them develop as much as possible. We’ve been around the longest.”