{"id":18120,"date":"2024-12-17T06:54:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T06:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120"},"modified":"2024-12-17T06:54:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T06:54:00","slug":"dont-have-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown-isiah-thomas-doesnt-want-nba-teams-to-copy-celtics-playstyle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Don&#8217;t Have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown&#8217;: Isiah Thomas Doesn&#8217;t Want NBA Teams to Copy Celtics&#8217; Playstyle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2024\/12\/a091fa3a-nba-2024-12-17t095029.747.jpg?format=auto&amp;w=3840&amp;q=75\" alt=\"Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (L) and Isiah Thomas (R)\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-1\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">The Boston Celtics set the tempo for their season with a record-tying 29 three-point buckets on opening night. The trend has continued through the following weeks \u2014 they lead the NBA in attempts as well as baskets from beyond the arc. Their volume has undoubtedly helped them secure the second-best record in the league so far. However Isiah Thomas believes the other teams should not try to replicate it simply because they don\u2019t have the players to pull it off.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-2\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">\u201c<i>It\u2019s a copycat league<\/i>,\u201d the two-time NBA champion said on <em>SiriusXM NBA Radio.<\/em> \u201c<i>Boston plays this way, so, okay, all the other 29 teams have gotta play this way. Well, you don\u2019t have<\/i> [Jayson] <i>Tatum and<\/i> [Jaylen] <i>Brown, so you can\u2019t play like Boston plays<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-3\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">Thomas\u2019 advice for handling the defending champions was simple \u2014 \u201c<i>You have to find a way to play different that beats them<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;You can&#39;t play like Boston plays. You have to find a way to play different that beats them.&quot;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Hoophall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Hoophall<\/a> HOFer Isiah Thomas tells <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WorldWideWob?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WorldWideWob<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/adaniels33?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@adaniels33<\/a> that teams trying to copy the Celtics style of play will not find success. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XVymkmBply\">pic.twitter.com\/XVymkmBply<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SiriusXMNBA\/status\/1868792378246807609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-5\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">Thomas was pointing to a broader problem of the NBA, the uniformity in approach across teams. He described how teams had distinct styles back during his playing days \u2014 it was almost a clash of conflicting perspectives. Now every team just copies the blueprint used by the reigning NBA champions.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-6\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">The Detroit Pistons legend underlined how the rise of analytics has prompted coaches to figure out a style of play that every team agrees with. They then stick to it the best way possible. That\u2019s why all NBA games look the same.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-7\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">Getting back to the Celtics, Thomas pointed out that Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens haven\u2019t just changed their strategy to chuck up more shots but built a roster for it. An approach as aggressive as Boston\u2019s requires the right personnel.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-8\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">Payton Pritchard and Al Horford currently lead the team in three-point percentage, providing an excellent boost to the Celtics\u2019 second unit. While Tatum and Brown shoot the three at a high volume, their efficiency has stuck around the 35% mark this season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-9\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">However, they can live with that because of rotational talents like Sam Hauser and Derrick White. In fact, the Celtics roster boasts eight players that are attempting over five three-pointers a game.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-10\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">With so many efficient high-volume shooters in the lineup, Mazzulla has been able to retain Boston\u2019s tag as the league\u2019s best team.<\/p>\n<h2>Mazzulla has been instrumental to the Celtics\u2019 success<\/h2>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-11\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">At the start of the season, the head coach was asked about his strategy for defending the NBA title.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-12\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">The 36-year-old sharply responded: \u201c<i>The phrase \u2018defending a title\u2019 is a very passive-aggressive term. If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don\u2019t defend; they\u2019re the most aggressive, and they attack the most<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-13\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">That\u2019s exactly what Mazzulla\u2019s side has done through the opening quarter of the 2024-25 season. After the first 15 games, the Celtics had knocked down 287 three-pointers, the most by any team in a 15-game span. With their current averages of 51.1 attempts and 19.0 conversions, Boston are on pace to surpass the Golden State Warriors\u2019 record for most three-pointers made in a single season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-14\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">Mazzulla\u2019s reliance on the long-range shots has had its critics. But the Rhode Island native has remained steadfast in pursuing this brand of offense since he became head coach in September 2022.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-15\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">\u201c<i>I always had a question about, like, when we shoot a lot of 3s and miss, everybody asks me questions. But when we shoot a lot of layups and miss nobody says anything\u2026. Just because you\u2019re closer to the basket doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s easier to score<\/i>,\u201d Mazzulla said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-16\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">The moves made under his tenure have all been with the intent of unlocking a new level of spacing for the Celtics. Without their depth and the right pieces around their superstars, Boston would suffer from the fate of the 2018-19 Houston Rockets who lived and died by the three-point during the postseason.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-17\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">The fact is that the Celtics have the talent to score on all three-levels. Aut by fielding a lineup that can play five-out offense, Mazzulla has created more lanes and openings for his team to attack.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pistons legend Isiah Thomas doesn&#8217;t want other franchises to attempt the three-point heavy strategies of Jayson Tatum&#8217;s Boston Celtics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":18123,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&#039;Don&#039;t Have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown&#039;: Isiah Thomas Doesn&#039;t Want NBA Teams to Copy Celtics&#039; Playstyle - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&#039;Don&#039;t Have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown&#039;: Isiah Thomas Doesn&#039;t Want NBA Teams to Copy Celtics&#039; Playstyle - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pistons legend Isiah Thomas doesn&#039;t want other franchises to attempt the three-point heavy strategies of Jayson Tatum&#039;s Boston Celtics.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-17T06:54:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-142.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsNga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsNga\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120\",\"name\":\"'Don't Have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown': Isiah Thomas Doesn't Want NBA Teams to Copy Celtics' Playstyle - News 365\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-142.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-17T06:54:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-17T06:54:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b1c32261ea7c1375bc99d782277ee798\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-142.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-142.jpg\",\"width\":1300,\"height\":1500},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"&#8216;Don&#8217;t Have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown&#8217;: Isiah Thomas Doesn&#8217;t Want NBA Teams to Copy Celtics&#8217; Playstyle\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"News 365\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b1c32261ea7c1375bc99d782277ee798\",\"name\":\"MsNga\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8b3e1c10558dfaf162a998dc15535744ef38d91fd35d4fed1d170bd077977aa6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8b3e1c10558dfaf162a998dc15535744ef38d91fd35d4fed1d170bd077977aa6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MsNga\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=4\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'Don't Have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown': Isiah Thomas Doesn't Want NBA Teams to Copy Celtics' Playstyle - News 365","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"'Don't Have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown': Isiah Thomas Doesn't Want NBA Teams to Copy Celtics' Playstyle - News 365","og_description":"Pistons legend Isiah Thomas doesn't want other franchises to attempt the three-point heavy strategies of Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics.","og_url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120","og_site_name":"News 365","article_published_time":"2024-12-17T06:54:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1300,"height":1500,"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-142.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MsNga","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MsNga","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120","name":"'Don't Have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown': Isiah Thomas Doesn't Want NBA Teams to Copy Celtics' Playstyle - News 365","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-142.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-17T06:54:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-17T06:54:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b1c32261ea7c1375bc99d782277ee798"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-142.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-142.jpg","width":1300,"height":1500},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18120#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"&#8216;Don&#8217;t Have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown&#8217;: Isiah Thomas Doesn&#8217;t Want NBA Teams to Copy Celtics&#8217; Playstyle"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/","name":"News 365","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b1c32261ea7c1375bc99d782277ee798","name":"MsNga","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8b3e1c10558dfaf162a998dc15535744ef38d91fd35d4fed1d170bd077977aa6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8b3e1c10558dfaf162a998dc15535744ef38d91fd35d4fed1d170bd077977aa6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MsNga"},"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=4"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18120"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18124,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18120\/revisions\/18124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}