In an unstable week for the Boston Celtics that included multiple starting lineup changes, the C’s supporting cast proved to be the glue that holds the champion-contending team together.
March 15 saw the return of big-man center Kristaps Porzingis in a close win against the Brooklyn Nets. Although Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said that he would give the 7-footer limited playing time, Porzingis scored a game-high 24 points in 32 minutes.
But before he could return, role players including Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman and Luke Kornet have seen increased playing time and improved performances in the last few games.
I first have to mention the rookie Scheierman’s performance against the Philadelphia 76ers last week, where he scored a career-high 15 points in 30 minutes. Scheierman is averaging only eight minutes per game this season, but in three games in March he’s improved that number to 18, shooting 46% from the field and 40% from three, adding two assists per game. He’s only scored three points since the contest against the 76ers, but Mazzulla has commented on the rookie’s recent performance, pointing to defense as the factor to more opportunities.
“The most important thing is being able to defend and the second most is can you make reads … He makes a ton of winning plays,” Mazzulla said of Scheierman.
Scheierman’s energy and three-point confidence helped the Celtics on the offensive end, but he still has a lot to prove on the defensive.
Hauser caught fire March 10 against the Utah Jazz, cashing in nine three-pointers and scoring a career-high 33 points in the win. He also hit a team record of seven threes in a quarter. He’s averaging 9.4 points per game in March, a two-point improvement from the previous month, and although his shooting percentage is down a notch, he’s taken on a greater role.
“It’s just kind of a tale of two halves, but once you see a couple go in, you know, the rim gets a little bit wider … so you just try to keep letting it fly,” Hauser said postgame.
Hauser’s sharpshooting supporter Pritchard talked about the connection and chemistry he has with Hauser and Kornet after the win versus the Nets March 15.
“I know how [Hauser] plays off-ball, where he likes it,” Pritchard said. “[Kornet] is easy to play off, great screener, great passer. … He’s completely changing his game from being a three-point shooter to now a rim threat, roller. … When you have that many hours with those guys, spend so much time — it makes the game really easy.”
Kornet also improved in March, averaging 6.6 points per game on 23.4 minutes a night. He’s started in five of the past eight games in the month as well, filling in for Porzingis.
But of course I have to praise the potential sixth-man of the year in Pritchard, who hit his 219th three of the season against the Nets, marking the most a player has hit off the bench in a single season in NBA history (and there are still 14 games left).
Now back to Porzingis. He missed the past eight games with an upper respiratory illness. At first there wasn’t much concern among fans like myself that Porzingis would miss this much time, but even his doctors couldn’t identify the illness. He believes he had bronchitis that became something worse, but the lanky Latvian described how while recovering, he had lingering fatigue that would cause his body to “crash” during workouts.
“I haven’t been this sick for probably ever in my life,” Porzingis said postgame against the Nets. “I was really, really fatigued. Like, not normal.” Luckily for Porzingis and the Celtics, he returned healthy and looked like the same beast before he got sick.
The Celtics (49-19) have one of the easiest remaining schedules for the final 14 games of the regular season, and after an upcoming rematch against the Nets March 18, the team will play a six-game road trip out west. However, more injuries are upon the Cs, including Jaylen Brown, who left last game with back spasms. Expect a few stars to get some more rest as the team continues to travel, but also expect the bench and role players to continue to post career nights.
From the parquet to the rafters, see you next week.
