Operating as much as the NBA commerce deadline, many armchair GMs had a pipe dream that the Celtics may goal Walker Kessler. With a yr left on his rookie contract and Boston’s relationship with Danny Ainge, possibly their former President of Basketball Operations would do them a strong and ship them the large man.
In the long run, a deal clearly didn’t materialize, however the Celtics determined to focus on him one other manner on Monday evening.
After an evening when Al Horford was focused by the Lakers 23 occasions on Saturday evening and the veteran stood tall in opposition to LeBron James and Luka Doncic, Boston took it to Kessler in comparable vogue. Despite the fact that they had been down a number of key killer whales (primarily Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis), it was nonetheless a feeding frenzy.
Kessler is third within the league in whole blocks (118) and blocks per sport (2.4). He’s one of many premier rim protectors within the sport. Nevertheless, if pull him away from the restricted space and get him in area, you neutralize the seven-footer’s 7’4 wingspan. No one put Kessler in jeopardy as a lot as Jaylen Brown in Boston’s 114-108 win over the Jazz.
Brown is a three-level scorer, so Kessler has to defend to the extent of the three-point line. Sadly, that unlocks the drive and ranges 2 and three. Brown stops quick and loses Kessler on skates and hits the middy.
Identical isolation once more. Brown blows previous him and misses the bunny.
Two possessions later, Brown hits him with the pump faux, Kessler joins the Parachute Membership, and JB sinks the infant hook.
Every little thing is info. Even when I miss a shot, it simply offers me info for the following time and the following shot, how the defender is guarding you, simply the texture, the rhythm of the sport. All of that’s simply compiling info. At any given second, issues can swap,” Brown stated.
After which on the finish of the sport, the Grave Digger put the ultimate nail in Utah’s coffin with this poster dunk on Kessler.
“Tonight, I didn’t really feel my greatest bodily. Began off lacking some photographs that I usually make,” Brown continued. “However all through the sport, it simply gave me info and issues like that — like how Kessler was taking part in me, how he guarded me, and within the fourth quarter, I used to be capable of make some performs.”
It was the play that in the end thwarted the Jazz’s comeback bid and prolonged the Celtics’ win streak to 5 with Oklahoma Metropolis on the town on Wednesday to wrap up the homestand. In response to Second Spectrum participant monitoring, Kessler defended Brown on eight possessions with Brown scoring 4-of-8 occasions and attending to the road as soon as.
“I satisfaction myself in wanting ahead to these moments like when different groups are on a run and our momentum isn’t there — we’d have missed some photographs,” Brown stated after scoring 9 factors within the fourth quarter. “The strain is raised and also you gotta make a play, make a play in your workforce and be strong in that. I look ahead to these moments when my workforce seems to me to make a play and tonight, I used to be capable of ship.”
