{"id":141200,"date":"2024-10-28T14:39:09","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T18:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=141200"},"modified":"2024-10-28T14:39:09","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T18:39:09","slug":"three-stats-to-watch-after-hot-celtics-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/three-stats-to-watch-after-hot-celtics-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Stats to Watch After Hot Celtics Start"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Celtics rolled to a 3-0 start with wins over the Knicks, Wizards and Pistons that all featured 20-point leads. A near second half collapse revealed some cracks in Detroit, and\u00a0Sam Hauser’s\u00a0<\/strong>ongoing back injury tightened the team’s rotation.<\/p>\n

Here are some other things to watch as Boston’s season continues against the Bucks…\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Boston allowing 1.3 points per possession in transition<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Celtics’ transition defense collapsed as part of their near meltdown in Detroit. As\u00a0Joe Mazzulla\u00a0<\/strong>usually says, the issues stemmed from poor offensive spacing, turnovers and bad shots. Boston missed eight layups in the third quarter, an easy way for the opponent to run the other way with advantages. The Celtics have only turned the ball over on 9.6% of their possessions so far (2nd), so that’s not a concern. They’re not shooting inside often, driving less often than any other team in the league, and converting at a 64% rate at the rim when they do. So something else is leading to leaky transition defense.<\/p>\n

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We're talking about a 3-game sample size here, so take this with the smallest of grains. BUT…the Celtics' transition defense needs tightening up.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They've defended 58 transition possessions over three games, allowing teams to shoot an eFG of 63.7%. That ranks them at the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/CWcNEB4sg1<\/a><\/p>\n

— Adam Taylor (@AdamTaylorNBA) October 27, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n