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<\/a><\/p>\nAs White has more responsibility to create advantages, someone else has to extend them. Fortunately for the Celtics, their growing army of Derrick Whites is up to the task.<\/p>\n
Boston\u2019s newest wave of role players \u2014 Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr. \u2014 aren\u2019t being asked to manufacture offense on their own. That responsibility already belongs to Boston\u2019s stars.<\/p>\n
Instead, they\u2019re asking them to do something far more specific: attack advantages and keep the ball moving. The guiding principle is simple. When the ball finds you, decide immediately. Shoot. Drive. Pass. Just don\u2019t let it stick.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the idea of \u201c.5 offense\u201d, which refers to making a decision within half a second of the catch. It has become a defining trait of Boston\u2019s role players this season.<\/p>\n
White brought that philosophy with him from San Antonio, and it\u2019s a significant part of what\u2019s made him so effective throughout his career. He always knows exactly how to kill a defense in rotation.<\/p>\n
Now Boston is asking its young role players to operate the same way. When teams are in scramble mode, instant decisions lead to breakdowns and open looks.<\/p>\n
The amount of true one-to-one comparisons is small. It is not my goal to argue that any of these players are the same, or project to be as good as White. But they are pulling from the area of his skill set that makes him a perfect complement to any lineup.<\/p>\n
The results often show up in smaller moments, but that fast processing is a large reason why the Celtics have maintained a top-two offense in what many expected to be a down year.<\/p>\n
This possession starts with Payton Pritchard beating the closeout, getting a deep paint touch, and kicking out to Gonzalez. Hugo and Harper Jr. effectively have a 2-on-1 as Brandon Podziemski tries to cover both until a teammate rotates. Hugo\u2019s quick pass sends Podziemski to the corner, but Harper Jr. doesn\u2019t wait a beat before giving it right back. Kristaps Porzingis is the closest defender in rotation, but Gonzalez made up his mind right away that he\u2019d attack while they\u2019re on their heels.<\/p>\n
The margins are thin in the NBA. If Harper Jr. or Hugo hold the ball a touch longer, the advantage falters. Being decisive is the key to a more dangerous offense. When you have Tatum, Brown, White and Pritchard leading the attack, the game doesn\u2019t need more isolation.<\/p>\n
This is a similar circumstance as the previous clip. Brown draws several defenders on the drive, and his kick out forces the defense to rotate. Like Podziemski, Keon Ellis attempts to cover two to buy his team time. He rotates, but keeps himself in the passing lane, ready to fly back toward Simons. Scheierman, identifying that immediately, holds Ellis in no-man\u2019s land with a brief glance and ball fake before pulling the open shot.<\/p>\n
When you have an edge this significant, hesitating is the only bad choice.<\/p>\n
Here, it\u2019s a situation in the clutch against the Knicks that features a comparable rotation by Miles McBride. Jordan Walsh may have had a brief window to shoot, but McBride commits fully to the closeout. As quickly as it arrives, the ball is out of Walsh\u2019s hands and off to White. Walsh simply keeps the advantage alive, trusting the next decision in the chain.<\/p>\n
The right play can be fluid in these cases, but it boils down to how fast you can identify and attack a defense under pressure. There\u2019s rarely a bad time to shoot in Mazzulla\u2019s offense, though if you\u2019re passing up a shot it should be for an option that keeps things humming.<\/p>\n
There is simplicity in good execution, and it can be destructive for defenses when it leads to repeated breakdowns.<\/p>\n
Whenever a Celtics role player has a breakout moment, the reaction tends to be the same. How do they keep finding these guys? Where do they keep coming from?<\/p>\n
For years, Derrick White has been the Celtics\u2019 ultimate advantage extender. The player who understands exactly how to punish a defense that\u2019s already rotating. Now that same philosophy is showing up across the roster.<\/p>\n
Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr. aren\u2019t being asked to become Derrick White. But they are learning to play the part of the game that makes him so valuable. Fast, confident decisions will take them a long way.<\/p>\n