The Boston Celtics notched their second preseason win by taking down the Philadelphia 76ers, but that’s not even the wildest part of Saturday’s game. They dropped a mind-blowing 35 assists on just 50 made shots, hinting at a totally revamped offensive identity for this squad. Forget everything you thought you knew about this team’s offense, because if this performance against Philly is any indication, things are about to get *fast*.
Pedal to the Metal: This Ain’t Last Year’s Celtics
Remember all that talk last year about playing faster? Yeah, that scuttlebutt evaporated quicker than a free hot dog at a game, replaced by the slowest, most methodical offense in the league. We watched half-court possessions just grind into isolation plays or matchup hunting. Look, it worked, mostly. They still finished as the second seed, defying a lot of expectations. But this summer? Crickets on the pace talk. Yet, on Saturday, Joe Mazzulla’s team looked like they just chugged five energy drinks. They took total control of the tempo, pushing the rock at will. We’re talking rapid decision-making, running the floor in transition, just absolutely beating the Sixers up the court and when they were in rotation. That insane 35 assists on 50 made shots wasn’t a fluke; it was the result of a free-flowing offense that supported their perimeter game, letting them shoot 45.8% from deep. It got everyone in rhythm, and once that happened, there was no looking back.
Sharing the Rock Means Everyone Eats
What’s super telling about this new approach? How much everyone was getting involved. According to CourtSketch, only 7 of Jayson Tatum’s 23 points were unassisted. Payton Pritchard, who dropped 25, only registered 8 points without a defender attached. Honestly, only Paul George with 10 and Derrick White with 11 were even in double digits for unassisted points that night. That tells you they were making their passes count! Swinging the ball around created defensive rotations, high-quality scoring opportunities, and points flowing with rabid efficiency. Tatum put up 11 points created off assists, Pritchard had 20, and Baylor Scheierman matched him with 20. But get this: there’s a massive bonus to all that ball movement. Everyone gets more locked in and active on defense. Scheierman, who was dishing out dimes, also finished with six defensive stops, more than any other Celtic. George snagged five, and Hugo Gonzalez had three. Brad Stevens hit on this earlier this summer when he talked about the Celtics’ tendency to stagnate on offense. Sounds like they’re trying to fix that problem head-on.
So what’s next? This team just showed us they can totally flip the script on how they play offense. We saw two preseason games, two totally different lineups, and two wins. This new, high-octane pace isn’t just a preseason experiment; it feels like an identity taking shape. Keep your eyes peeled to see if they can maintain this level of unselfish, fast-break basketball. If they do, this could be one seriously fun team to watch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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