Last season, the Boston Celtics had the best defense in the NBA. That propelled them to the NBA Finals and they were within two wins of a championship. This season, the Celtics have done an about-face and are the top offensive team in the league. Jayson Tatum has been leading the way offensively and he believes it's largely in part to the team not being as predictable as they were last season as per Bobby Manning of CLNS Media.
Jayson Tatum on biggest difference offensively: "A lot of randomness. Not a lot of playcalling, but trust. Just trusting that each guy's going to make the right read …"
If you make the right play, you're going to get it back, he says, which was a struggle early last year.
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) November 24, 2022
As of now, the Celtics are second in the NBA in points per game at 119.7. They are first in offensive rating at 119.5. That offensive pace has the Celtics currently sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 14-4 record. That record is also the best record in the NBA.
Jayson Tatum is helping power that Celtics offense with an MVP-type season. He's averaging a career-high 30.6 points per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three-point range. The team is also getting strong offensive production from Jaylen Brown. Brown is making his case for a second All-Star appearance averaging a career-high 25.6 points while shooting a career-high 50 percent from the field. The duo has been the best one-two punch in the league and drew some high praise recently from Luka Doncic.
Although the Celtics have been on a torrid pace offensively. their defense has taken a hit. They are currently 14th in the league in opponents points per game at 113.4, and they are 20th in defensive rating at 113.1.
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