The Boston Celtics summer season league is over. Regardless of ending their participation with a 2-3 report, there have been some enjoyable video games over the previous week, with a number of members of D.J. MacLeay’s rotation impressing when given the chance. Even Jordan Walsh — who had struggled by means of 4 video games, discovered a strategy to erase a few of his robust nights from our reminiscence courtesy of his efficiency on Sunday.
Nonetheless, it was Boston’s two new rookies who stood out. We’ve already checked out Baylor Scheierman at what he might probably convey to the Celtics rotation. Should you missed that, yow will discover it right here.
Right this moment, we’re trying on the different new addition to Boston’s rotation: Anton Watson. The younger “tweener” had a powerful Summer season League displaying. He averaged 11.8 factors, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists whereas capturing 51.1% from the sector and 35% from deep.
Slightly than taking a look at each side of Watson’s talent set, we’re going to concentrate on the areas that might translate to a possible position in Boston or Maine. These areas are: Off-ball chopping, perimeter playmaking, catch-and-shoot threes and protection. Watson does have extra to his sport than these 4 areas, however as we transfer towards coaching camp and, in the end, the beginning of the season, any potential position he receives will probably comprise these expertise.
Off-ball chopping
Throughout his remaining season with Gonzaga, 17.1% of Watson’s general offensive manufacturing got here through off-ball chopping. He shot 66.2% in these eventualities, going 47-of-71.
In Summer season League, Watson usually contains 4 offensive play varieties: flooring spacer, ball handler, screener, and DHO initiator. Nonetheless, on the NBA degree, the place touches are a lot more durable to come back by, Watson would probably depend on his chopping capability to generate scoring alternatives for himself and others.
These alternatives gained’t all the time come by chopping towards the rim. He might additionally reduce onto the perimeter courtesy of exit screens or pin-downs, the place he might then circulate right into a capturing movement or present some secondary creation.
Understanding that Watson can work with out the ball and nonetheless be efficient is encouraging.
Nonetheless, Watson’s lack of measurement does place a query mark over his inside scoring on the subsequent degree. At 6-foot-8, Watson is liable to getting stuffed on the rim or being pressured to flee dribble and gradual the offense down.
Defenders within the NBA are stronger, sooner and extra explosive. If Watson needs to be a multi-level scoring menace, he should add some methods to his inside scoring sport whereas additionally packing on power to complete by means of contact.
His lack of measurement and power is a main purpose why I don’t count on his post-up sport to translate from the school to the professionals, which is why we gained’t be taking a look at that play sort right this moment. For reference, he took 65 photographs out of post-ups, capturing 47.7%.
What we now have seen, although, is that Watson is a succesful post-passer. He has good imaginative and prescient, makes fast reads, and has the dimensions to see over perimeter defenders in the event that they attempt to strain him with digs into the submit.
Boston’s submit offense is often reserved for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Vacation and Kristaps Porzingis. Al Horford could function in there occasionally, too. Nonetheless, except Watson has reduce off a display and located himself in a post-up place, I don’t envision him needing to create from the block on a constant foundation — at the very least, not throughout the earlier years of his profession.
As a substitute, the position we’ve seen from him in Summer season League is probably going what he could be tasked with within the NBA (and G-League).
A fringe hub
After I consider how Watson might crack the principle Celtics rotation, it’s this play that involves thoughts. Joe Mazzulla’s offensive system relies on a five-out offense. As such, the large should be dependable on the perimeter, not solely as a scorer but in addition as a creator and screener.
Within the above clip, Watson initiates two separate dribble hand-offs. He additionally fakes a DHO with JD Davison. He units a number of screens. After which, when the spacing is there, and the nook is empty, he rolls towards the rim, offering a passing outlet for Jordan Walsh, and will get a straightforward bucket because the reward for all of his laborious work.
Watson’s fingerprints are throughout that play. His willingness to maneuver the rock, assault second-side actions, and benefit from the house his work has created are all encouraging indicators of a possible match inside Boston’s system.
Right here’s one other instance. As soon as once more, Watson is tasked with working on the perimeter in a delay motion. And as soon as once more, Watson showcases his persistence and willingness to let issues unfold round him. The play ends in a flare display for Baylor Scheierman. The shot doesn’t fall, however the half-court motion involving Watson is our focus on this occasion, and in that respect, he showcased his perimeter creation capability.
Watson’s perimeter-based sport does have shades of Al Horford. He’s a cell screener, performs at his personal tempo and tempo, can rating off the catch on the perimeter and within the nook, has some post-creation expertise. The rookie has beforehand spoken about studying from the lately topped champion massive man.
“Capturing is clearly an enormous piece. Form of like that Al Horford position. He’s an awesome shooter. I feel studying from him goes to be large for me and truly all of the veterans on this workforce,” Watson mentioned. “Capturing goes to be large and simply my protection, utilizing that to my strengths and popping out and guarding each single sport. That’s going to be massive for me. Yeah, capturing goes to open up my offensive capability, however protection is the place I’m sturdy at.”
Catch-and-shoot 3s
Let’s begin by taking a look at Watson’s year-by-year catch-and-shoot numbers since he entered his rookie season with Gonzaga.
Yr 1, 2019-20: Watson took shot 7 catch-and-shoot three-point photographs, hitting 1, 14.3% conversion price.
Yr 2, 2020-21: Watson took 16 photographs, hitting 3, 18.8% conversion price.
Yr 3, 2021-22: Watson took 13 photographs, hitting 3, 23.1% conversion price.
Yr 4, 2022-23: Watson took 32 photographs, hitting 10, 31.3% conversion price
Yr 5, 2023-24: Watson took 29 photographs, hitting 12, 41.4% conversion price.
In summer season league, Watson took 12 photographs, hitting 4 of them with a 33.3% conversion price.
Pictures just like the one within the clip above are going to be there for Watson on the NBA and G-League degree. If he can get comfy re-locating into the nook and offering a catch-and-shoot launch valve for the penetrating ball-handler, he’ll get loads of reps to proceed growing his shot, mechanics and vary.
Horford took 257 nook threes final season, knocking them down at a 42% clip. The shot will likely be there for Watson when he’s on the court docket, as will the spacing and creation to present him high-quality makes an attempt. The remainder will likely be on him to maintain engaged on his shot, constructing rhythm and ensuring his movement is repeatable.
You possibly can see a really comparable play (and consequence) within the clip above, this time coming from the alternative nook. As soon as once more, the ball-handler has engaged the protection, created house for Watson off the catch, and the Gonzaga product will get the shot to fall. We’ve seen the Celtics thrive off these spray actions since Mazzulla took over the top teaching gig, so it is smart to imagine Watson might spell minutes in an identical three-and-d position.
On this clip, you may see Watson run the ground to supply a “pitch-ahead” outlet in transition. When the ball doesn’t discover Watson close to the rim, he shortly relocates to fill the nook. JD Davison assaults off a stampede reduce, attracts a number of defenders and sprays the ball out to Watson for a wide-open three.
We’ve now seen three totally different clips of Watson hitting nook threes, all through dribble-drive penetration dishes. These are the precise sort of photographs he’ll get with Boston and certain in Maine, too. The extra of these he can take, the higher he’ll get.
In fact, we’ve additionally seen that he’s able to hitting a pull-up in house, too, which is significant for when he’s working as a creation hub within the delay.
Protection
Throughout his remaining 12 months in Gonzaga, Watson spent numerous time guarding on the perimeter, primarily getting switched onto guards or smaller wings. The end result was he usually bought beat off the dribble. He additionally bought caught when making an attempt to rotate early, usually discovering himself having to shut out laborious on shooters.
When guarding spot-up capturing possessions just like the one above, Watson held his opponents to a 50.9 efficient subject aim proportion, with them hitting 40% of their subject objectives and 38.2% of their threes.
Watson did have higher success in summer season league, primarily on account of being matched up with forwards and infrequently getting caught on robust switches. He additionally spent extra time guarding nook shooters, which allowed him to make use of his measurement and skill to regulate angels to restrict his opponents.
The above clip is the kind of defensive possession and position we must always count on to see from Watson. Tasked with guarding the nook, offering assist protection across the rim, and switching on screens. He has the lateral quickness, low heart of gravity and physique management to chop off the court docket when guarding with the sideline and baseline as additional defenders.
His downside is when he’s tasked with guarding in house. Watson bought dragged into 11 isolation defensive possessions in summer season league, together with his opponents capturing 72.7% in opposition to him. At this level in his improvement, he’s higher suited as a supplementary defender who can guard fours and fives and shield the nook. If he’s switched onto faster, shifter gamers, he struggled to maintain tempo with them.
Watson has some work to do on the defensive finish. Don’t let his PnR defensive numbers idiot you, both. Synergy has tracked him as holding opposing ball-handlers to 24.4% capturing when working because the PnR ball-handler defender, indicating he can maintain his personal in a switch-based system.
Nonetheless, when diving into the movie, the vast majority of these possessions are show-and-recover, that means Watson didn’t truly contest the shot however restricted the ball-handler from penetrating earlier than recovering to the rolling massive.
Watson has the instruments to change into a dependable defender on the NBA degree. Nonetheless, it might be an space that limits his capability to crack the rotation over the following 12 months or two whereas he continues to develop that facet of his sport. Nonetheless, if he can maintain strong protection throughout the low helpline and affect nook shooters whereas additionally rotating as a helper, he ought to have an outlined position if he will get his quantity known as.
In any case, Watson was a late second-round draft choose; anticipating him to be a completed product is unfair. Whereas his offensive sport has clear NBA translatability, his protection should catch up, particularly after being drafted by a workforce that prides itself on being a lockdown unit.
Remaining ideas
Watson emerged as my favourite Celtic at summer season league. His NBA-ready method on offense, coupled together with his private tempo made him a enjoyable prospect to trace. His protection didn’t look to misplaced on account of his outlined position, and for essentially the most half, he projected as somebody who might probably spell minutes in a pinch.
Nonetheless, with summer season league now within the historical past books and a few extra movie work beneath my belt, I wouldn’t count on to see an excessive amount of of the Gonzaga alumn within the coming season. He must significantly enhance his protection if he’s going to carry his personal on the NBA degree — with guarding in house being a predominant focus level, in my view.
Luckily for Watson, he’s landed on a Celtics workforce that has confirmed to be gifted at growing expertise in recent times. If he could make some strides on the defensive facet of the ball, he might be knocking on the door for a rotation spot subsequent season when each Horford and Luke Kornet will likely be reaching the top of their present contracts. That timeline appears cheap and probably achievable for Watson.
For now, it will likely be enjoyable monitoring his progress in Maine.
CelticsBlog graciously allowed this text to be cross-posted from my “Celtics Chronicle” e-newsletter.
