Schuhmann: Tatum & Brown: 6 total assists to each other in 7 games vs. Miami. Jokic & Murray: 27 total assists to each other in 3 games vs. Miami. Big difference when the 2 best players play off each other.

31 comments

1. In looking for ways for the Jays to improve, I didn’t think of this idea, but it would be interesting if they could leverage each other to help themself or the other score at times.

   I think Schuhmann is a little off base with the comparison since Jokic and Murray can run PnR’s for matchup advantages, but the idea of playing off each other in a different dynamic intrigued me.

   [For anyone curious, he does elaborate more in a back and forth with dangercart](https://twitter.com/johnschuhmann/status/1666792680699904001)

   EDIT: [He gave a stat that shows their assist to one another while on the floor per 36 minutes to John Karalis](https://twitter.com/johnschuhmann/status/1666812927989653506)

2. It’s bc of the positions that they play…it’s hard to play off each other when your basically the same player so that allows for easy switching

3. The nuggets run more offense in a possession than the Celtics do in a game. This is an apples to oranges comparison to be fair.

4. amen

5. Too similar

6. This is the problem with a wing/wing duo they can’t play off each other in the same way and both attack in the same manner.

   Why they struggle in the clutch they can be guarded the same way and revert to iso.

7. Celtics points in ECF:

   116, 105, 102, 116, 110, 104, 84

   Nuggets points in Finals:

   104, 108, 109

   Not sure it matters who is assisting who

8. This right here is why this team has earned the reputation of making everything harder… two star wing players have trouble playing off each other but need the ball in their hands, and everything becomes iso or panicked in crunch time situations….

   Truthfully it’s Jaylen that needs to get better at playing off ball IMO. His handle/bball IQ aren’t good enough to consistently iso or lead the offense, and everything halts when he tries to create.

9. What happens when one guy can’t pass.

10. I think they could definitely do more together. We can run more PnRs with them for example.

    However, I don’t agree that more cooperation = more success. It’s not that simple. I wouldn’t say Embiid/Harden has been a better duo than Giannis/Middleton for example.

    Plus the Jays have spent their entire careers outperforming a bunch of duos who play off one another.

11. I’ve been saying it for awhile but Brown REFUSES to pass the ball to Tatum. Tatum has improved by leaps and bounds to pass to the open guy which is generally a jump shooter a la White so I understand if Brown doesn’t always get the rock from Tatum but Browns unwillingness to give the ball back to Tatum even on top of the key is notable

12. If Brad plans on keeping this core as is this HAS TO BE THE PRIORITY this summer. These two do not play well off of each other and it is the main reason we struggle when times get tough and we need to run good offense. At this point I’m not too sure it is something that can be fixed, seeing as they play the same exact position

13. This is 100% a coaching issue. If Celtics had Spo and Miami had Joe, the Celtics sweep the Heat in 4 games without a doubt. Gonna end up losing the Jays because of it.

14. MJ & Pippen. Lebron & Wade. Pierce & Allen. Kawhi & PG13. Nobody ever said to break up those wings. The only reason there’s talk about breaking up the Clippers duo is because they can’t stay healthy. NOBODY would say break up Kawhi & PG13 if their health were like our Jays.

15. I mean in fairness it helps when your best player is the greatest passing big man the game has ever seen.

16. Stagnating ball movement is absolutely an issue for our offense, but I don’t think the number of times the Js assist each other really tells you anything useful. You almost always want them on opposite sides of the floor because the defensive attention they demand = really good spacing, which makes things easier for everyone. They can “play off of each other” really well without ever directly passing to one another.

    But I think this past season we mostly got by on just spreading the floor and then relying on our embarrassment of ball handlers to beat someone off the dribble, which was good enough to win most of the time.

    What I hope we see next season is a lot more off-ball player movement to force the defense to shift and make that spacing even more lethal.

17. Jokic is a generational passer. Unreal talent for a 5.

    The 1 5 assist game is way more viable then the wing wing assist game is.

18. Tatum and Brown have no reason to be getting assists from each other. It’d be rob or a 3 point shooter. I do think that Tatum and Brown should have better off the ball movement like Curry but as other have pointed out our offense wasn’t really the issue. Sure we shit the bed in game 7. But it’s cuz we live and die by the three. We need more defensive focus tbh. No reason guys on the heat should be getting wide open threes with no contests. No name dude shouldn’t be shooting that crazy against us. Maybe it’s there coming out party but we were the better team.

19. i shouldn’t be alive

20. No point guard in the world can fix this. This is a Jaylen/Jayson problem

21. Thank you for sharing this stupid tweet.

22. To be fair Jamal and Jokic would have a lot less if Jamal missed almost every shot he took in the Miami Series

23. Let’s just hope we emphasize defense and ball movement next season… I believe that jaylen can improve heavily on his play making/ball handling with Cassell in the offszn.

24. I said this all the time. Why the hell are they not playing a two man game between themselves? Pick and roll with either the Jays to each other would be lethal, but we saw none of it. Instead we get a two man between JT and Smart on loop. How is that scary or effective with a terrible 3 point shooter or finisher in Smart? Do that with JT to JB, and look out!! We’ve already seen how effective it was with ANY ball handler and Time Lord, but they don’t run this. Such a shame.

25. it was astonishing how many times I saw Miami do their top of the key double teams on say Murray, only for murray to always be finding an open man or someone cutting to the basket / in open space. it certainly feels like something brown (and tatum to a certain degree) has to be better at in terms of being able to dribble with their heads up, but also the spacing and movement of others. when our offense is so focused on three pointers, they naturally will just sit at three point line. denver takes what the defense gives them, that’s the difference

26. How many assists did Jaylen have to the heat?

27. This is one of the reasons I want to do that deal with the blazers. Simons and #3 for JB. Simons isn’t the two way player JB is but he’s a great scorer who is a better ball handler. Plus you get the opportunity to grow with scoot if he’s available.

28. I really enjoy watching Jokic and Murray do their thing.

29. Not to say it would’ve or wouldn’t have helped us, but I do notice there aren’t many times the Jays pass to each other given their on court usage numbers, relative to other members of the team. Maybe my eye test is failing me though, I should look up some definitive numbers.

30. Both Murray and Jokic are exceptional playmakers. Tatum has been improving, Brown only makes passes when he dribbles into traffic and has nowhere to go. Denver is on another level right now. I don’t think we would beat them even if we won game 7.

31. I’ve always said that that play on two different offenses on the same team.