The Celtics will look to build off their four-game winning streak when they host the Nuggets Friday night at TD Garden, where Boston is 4-1 this season. We have seen the Celtics play some of their best basketball of the young season during this four-game stretch, but what exactly are they doing so well?
Balanced Offense
Last year, the Celtics were the best defensive team in the NBA, but through 11 games this season, it's been the offense carrying the load. What Joe Mazzulla's offense has accomplished to the start this season is incredible, as the team holds the highest offensive rating in the NBA at 117.6. The offense has been especially impressive over this four-game win streak, and they have done it with a balanced attack.
The Celtics have been scoring the ball in different ways. They have been attacking the paint, and also shooting exceptionally well from three-point range, which is a dangerous combination. The point distribution over the win streak shows how balanced the offense has been, as 40.2% of the Celtics' points over that stretch have come off threes, 36.1% in the paint, 7.1% from mid-range, and 16.4% from the free-throw line. When you look at those numbers, the one outlier would be mid-range, but believe it or not, the Celtics ranked 13th in percentage of points from mid-range during that stretch.
Despite a smaller lineup, the Celtics have done an outstanding job attacking the rim and getting to the free-throw line. They have attempted the third-most free throws (100) in the NBA over this four-game stretch, and have scored 81 points from the charity strike.
The Celtics play their best when they move and share the ball, and they have done a great job with that as well. Over the four-game stretch, the Celtics have totaled 111 assists, which is fourth-most in the NBA. Even more impressive, 64% of their made field goals over this stretch have been assisted. When the Celtics offense is this balanced and they can execute the way they have been, this is a tough team to beat.
The Bench
A major flaw for the Celtics in recent years has been their bench. Even looking back at last year, the Celtics' bench was a major issue. So far this season, we have seen little to no drop-off when the Celtics bench has checked in. Between the addition of Malcolm Brogdon, the emergence of Sam Hauser, and the solid play from guys like Grant Williams and Luke Kornet, the Celtics bench has been spectacular.
Over the course of the four-game win streak, the Celtics bench has averaged 38.8 points per game and has shot the ball 59.1% from the field. The Boston bench has also posted an NBA best 64.6 offensive rating over that span.
Given what we have seen so far, it's not crazy to suspect this level of play is sustainable from the Celtics bench.
The Jays
Celtics fans are lucky to have these two leading their team. They have scored 30-plus points a combined 11 times this season and over the four-game win streak, Tatum has posted 30-plus points three times and Brown has done it twice.
It's ridiculous what these two are doing right now. Over this streak they have combined for 229 points on 73-of-157 (46%) shooting, and have gotten to the free-throw line a combined 68 times.
They have taken their game to the next level and are showing that they can both compete as All-NBA caliber players. It feels like we are really seeing them take the next step into stardom. These two seem incredibly motivated and determined to get back to the NBA Finals. Brown said after Wednesday night's win over the Pistons that, "I think I'm a better player than I have shown over these last 10 games."
Mind you, Brown is averaging 25.4 points per game on 46.1% shooting, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists this season.
