“J Team” moving to the head of the class

forbes.com

Through three games, young veterans Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have displayed an encouraging sense of commitment to the defensive backboard ... the flashy Jay Team has nitty-grittied its way to 41 of the squad’s 98 defensive rebounds.

Though plagued by a few too many unfavorable whistles, Brown -- who looks to have added some bulk and strength for this campaign -- is playing with a confident and purposeful assertiveness. Knicks' colorman and NBA Hall of Famer Walt Frazier gushed over JB's Q4, blow-by three-point-play last night ... then scolded old pal Marcus Morris for an unnecessary foul.

And I'm much more partial to a Tatum who'll prioritize securing a D-board to leaking/sneaking out ahead of the field.

USA Today

Through the lens of my “Teacher Eyes,” the two budding studs appear to be polar opposites in personality. JB is the ultra-nerd, motivated toward academic achievement and apt at times to be late for practice because a Student Government meetup with the Principal ran long. JT, on the other hand, is the intelligent but “Too Cool for School” kid, content to excel at what comes natural and “just get by” otherwise. Have we not seen that in his shot selection?

What I’ve particularly noticed with Tatum lately is his passing — but not in a good way. While Jayson is prone to make the proper pass, his pass too often is not “on point” requiring a slight re-adjustment by the receiver. In a league with such a high priority on spot-up shooting, a pass needs to be delivered in such a way that a shooter need not re-set his feet ... Brother Tatum has room for improvement in this area of his game, IMHO.



Boston - 118

FG: C’s – 42-93, .452
3FG: C’s – 15-41, .366
FT: C’s – 19-29, .655 [11 conversions]
TS%: C’s – .558
OR: C’s – 13 + 2 (team) [minus 0 FT rebounds]
DR: C’s – 32 + 1 (team) [minus 4 FT rebounds]
TO: C’s – 12 + 1 (team)
Poss: C’s – 102 {49 “Empty”}
PPP: C’s – 1.157
CV%: C’s – 53 conversions / 102 possessions, .520
Stripes: C’s – +5 [+2.5 conversions]
Adjusted CV%: C’s – 55.5 conversions / 102, .544 {expected production, 111 points}


New York - 95

FG: NY – 31-80, .388
3FG: NY – 7-27, .259
FT: NY – 26-34, .765 [15 conversions]
TS%: NY – .500
OR: NY – 16 + 5 (team) [minus 1 FT rebound]
DR: NY – 39 + 2 (team) [minus 7 FT rebounds]
TO: NY – 25 + 1 (team)
Poss: NY – 100 {54 “Empty”}
PPP: NY – 0.950
CV%: NY – 46 conversions / 100 possessions, .460
Stripes: NY – -1 [-0.5 conversions]
Adjusted CV%: NY – 45.5 conversions / 100 possessions, .455 {expected production, 91 points}


Note re Calculation & Notation:

The number of “possessions” is an accurate count, not a formula-based estimated value. For purposes of clarity, the bracketed digit following the FT% is the exact count of “conversions” represented by those FTA’s.

“Possessions” calculation: FGA’s + FT conversions + TO’s – OR’s (including Team OR’s) – FT OR’s

“Conversions” calculation: FG’s + FT conversions

“Stripes” calculation: 3FG’s – missed FTA’s

TS% = True Shooting Percentage

PPP = Points per Possession

CV% = Conversion Percentage