Boston Celtics Injury Report (Nov. 4): Latest update on Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday's status
The Boston Celtics have jumped to a 4-0 record with blow-out wins in their last two games. Joe Mazzulla's team heads to New York, where they face the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 4. The Celtics are heavy favorites, with Las Vegas giving them a -9.5 on the spread.
Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Jrue Holiday are expected to play for the Celtics. To begin the season, the only player the Celtics have had in their injury report is two-way big man Neemias Queta, who has been dealing with a foot injury.
Boston's new-look starting five has been exceptional. The floor spacing, rim pressure and shot-making ability throughout the team's starting five have created mismatches across the court.
Teams are struggling to slow down such a diverse group of elite talents. The same is happening at the defensive end, as the Celtics have had multiple 24-second shot-clock violations with their intense brand of defense.
Assuming their entire starting five is healthy, the Boston Celtics will feel confident about earning their fifth straight win as they continue to build winning habits, which they hope will allow them to contend for a championship in 2024.
Jayson Tatum's shot profile is helping the Boston Celtics
In recent years, the Boston Celtics have been susceptible to a stagnant offense that leads to contested 3-point shots out of isolation plays.
Oftentimes, Jayson Tatum has been the man tasked with taking and making those shots. This season, Tatum has altered his approach at the offensive end, as has the Celtics as a whole.
Tatum is driving to the rim more and getting an increased amount of post-touches. By pressuring the interior defense, Tatum's scoring gravity creates problems for opposing defenses.
Tatum is an All-NBA talent. He's a top-seven player in the NBA. Teams want to throw double-teams at him when he's working on the block or driving the lane.
However, the Celtics roster is so talented that any double-team is leaving an All-Star caliber player open on the perimeter or cutting through the lane. As such, Tatum has been free to attack mismatches or punish defenders off the dribble, leading to some highly efficient scoring nights.
The recent additions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis have played a huge role in Tatum's ability to work on his post-control and post-scoring in real time. While the floor spacing is carving open lanes for the St. Louis native to attack. Once he's in rhythm, Tatum is cooking defenses from the perimeter, too.
The Boston Celtics' offense has gone to a new level to begin the new season. Tatum's scoring profile is playing a significant role in that change.