SQ2016-7 Passing—The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

My claim is that passing will be a critical aspect of the Celtics' success, or lack thereof, in this upcoming season. And “just a pass” won't cut it. It's how you move the ball. Are the passes thrown at the right time, to the open player, and on target? Last time I left you with some questions to ponder.

Think back to last year's team.

Who were the worst passers on that team?

Who garnered the most assists?

The greatest percentage of assists per touch?

Who were the best passers?

I suggest that our assist leaders last season were not good passers, at all. Isaiah Thomas and Evan Turner were our assist leaders, but then again they each held the ball far longer than any of their teammates and took more shots. They had to have had the most assist opportunities, but how well did they use them?

Too often our ball handlers' passes were simply to bail themselves out when they got into difficulty. Far more desirable is for your ball handlers be constantly looking for, and aware of, good opportunities for their teammates offense. While I frankly was pleasantly surprised at how willing our duo were willing to pass the ball, I was disappointed at the quality of their deliveries. It seemed to me that seldom did the receiver get the ball in a position to take advantage of their defender and even less often was the pass delivered with the precision to best enable them to make a move whether to drive, shoot, or move the ball again. Our attackers lacked the awareness to see opportunities open up and when they did spot one, delivered the ball to late or too off target to maximize the chance. This has to improve.

Note this was my take on the answers to the first two questions. Because the ball was in their hands for a huge percentage of the time, I suspect that the third answer is someone else. The fact that I don't know who is a pretty sad commentary on the passing of the rest of the team. My best guess would be Marcus Smart; and then I am faced with the thoughts that upon his arrival, I felt his greatest weaknesses were awareness and passing ability. Perhaps it is because this year his ball-handling duties were minimized and he had more time to survey and assess the whole floor, his passing was aided by these crutches for his court awareness.

By the was my third candidate for worst passer was our grey-beard of Celtics tenure, Avery Bradley. Yes that same Bradley that Doc tried to force fit into point guard (I suspect because of his height. Maybe playing alongside Thomas makes Avery seem taller :>? ) Bradley is one of the worst offenders of the telegraphed swing pass just begging to be picked off. It fits with my assessment that his lack of court awareness guaranteed that he would never excel as a point guard. It also seems that his passes are often off target causing the receiver to reach (If you think about it, there is no good “off.” Too low or high and the receiver is off balance. Too much on the defender's side and it is essentially a jump ball. To far away from the defender and the reach makes the next pass both slow and sent without adequate assessment time.) Let me hasten to say that Avery Bradley has become quite a proficient “pocket passer” (the wrap around pass that the dribbler delivers to the diving or popping screener). I have been pleasantly amazed by his adept deliveries of this pass. In reflection, I think that his prowess in this one passing area is partially a result of limited and defined situation which lends itself to practicing a 1-key decision and a measured launch. In fact this small-steps learning is a very nice way in which Avery Bradley has made significant progress every single year and off season (which he has been healthy). His example is a bit odd in that he has continued to improve noticeably for each of his six seasons. Still don't think he will ever be a point, and he's not going to get taller, but his constant effort and development has made him a multiple tool player. He plays outstanding on-ball defense (more than one opposing quarterback has wailed some version of the Duran lament “No mas, no mas”), and he has a nice awareness (and that seems odd since I don't see an offensive parallel) of blind-side steal opportunities. On offense Avery came in with a mid-range jumper. To that he has added dives to the bucket (especially from either corner), and a 3-point shot (first from the shorter corners and progressively around the arc). That long range shooting has gotten more and more dependable and now constitutes a substantial threat that opens the court for Isaiah and his teammates.

Best passers? This year it may well be the centers (and probably was so last year also). Al Horford will take the court day one as our best passer. Kelly Olynyk is a good passer whose ability has been hampered by his timidity (as has his distance shooting and his pump-and-go drives). Smart gets my vote for most improved passer. I hope Rozier grabs my vote for that next summer. Realistically the biggest bang for the improvement buck would be progress by Thomas. His role as play maker needs to change big time this year and one key is going to be his passing. By that I mean both awareness and accuracy, as well as timing. The awareness to see opportunities for teammates whether emerging from behind screens or when the defense miscalculates—over or under committing, losing track or focus, turning the head, doubling one and leaving another open, a big on a little or visa versa, or leaving a shooter just a little too much space. The accuracy and timing to deliver the ball leading the teammate into his best opportunity. The one thing we have hardly seen at all, from anybody, is the feed into the inside (since we haven't really had any inside game to feed). Who knows how well our players can make that type of pass but here is hoping we get to find out.

Bottom line: the whole team needs to improve its passing, and that improvement is a critical aspect of executing Brad Stevens' pace, space, and ball and player movement strategy. At some point these passing goals (timing, accuracy, choice, and recognition) should become tactical nuances, but this team is a long way from this becoming a honing the weapon's edge. Ultimately this type of attack requires both focus and mental agility, and the modern NBA player is noted for neither. I'd like to think that the team Danny and Brad are building is exactly the type of alert, cohesive unit that will practice these skills and develop the ingenuity to make maximum use of such an approach.

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