The Boston Celtics fell 108-102 to the Detroit Pistons for the second time this season on Friday night.
Detroit was led by rookie Saddiq Bey (30 points, 7-for-7 from 3-point) and Delon Wright (22 points, 7-for-9 shooting). The Cs scored 33 and 27 points, respectively, from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the losing effort.
Celtics-Pistons stressed: Cs can not stop Bey in 108-102
This is what we are overreacting to as Boston moves to 13-12 this season.
1. The Cs missed Saddiq Bey.
Boston got the chance to draft Bey with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. It went in place with Aaron Nesmith, and Bey eventually finished the Pistons at number 19.
(Our very own Chris Forsberg let Bey go to Boston in his last NBA Mock Draft).
This has bitten the Celtics in their three encounters with Bey and the Pistons this season. The Villanova product was 7-for-11 (23 points) in two games against Boston before the game Friday night. Then he exploded for ridiculous 30 points while going for a perfect 7-for-7 from outside the arc.
How can you remind yourself of what you could have had?
Now, honestly, Bey did not make a constant contribution during his rookie campaign. But he was certainly much more helpful than Nesmith. The C’s rookie has not seen much of the court at all and is shooting only 32.4 percent off the field this season (31 percent from 3).
There’s plenty of time for Nesmith to find his rhythm, but it’s hard to watch Friday’s game and not wonder if the Celtics made the wrong decision.
Verdict: Overreaction
2. The Celtics really miss Marcus Smart.
Since Smart suffered his calf injury on January 30 against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Cs are 3-4 and drive them through starting lineup that mostly does not do the job.
This time it was newcomer Payton Pritchard who started in Smart’s place. Just as incredible as “Fast PP” was this season, he was a non-factor Friday night with two points (1-for-5 shooting) in 29 minutes.
Obviously, Pritchard is not the problem, but it’s another example of the Celtics’ lack of depth at the point. It also goes beyond the score, as Smart’s leadership presence is clearly missed.
Either Boston needs to start thinking long and hard about the exception on the traded player, or Smart needs to return to provide relief as soon as possible. Or both.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
3. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown need to get others more involved.
The Celtics took advantage to share the rock with the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night, counting 30 total assists while Tatum and Brown did a phenomenal job of getting teammates involved. Tatum had nine assists, and Brown had a career high of 10. As a result, Semi Oeljeye and Payton Pritchard combined to score 44 points and that was the key to the victory.
That was a different story Friday night because the Cs only had 15 assistants against Detroit. Tatum did his part with seven, but otherwise the ball just did not move.
The point is, the Celtics are going as far as their fans can get them. Tatum and Brown are superstars, but they can not do it alone. That was evident in Friday’s defeat, as it was all season long.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
The next game for the Cs is a Sunday game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Tip is set for 13:00 ET.