In nod to Hornets’ near-record assists, Jaylen Brown gives Celtics a model to draw on

The Boston Celtics have a structural problem in the makeup of their team that isn’t going to be entirely solved until the offseason, but they can make up for it with a concerted effort to move the ball.

Lacking a natural playmaking floor general and with few players able to help with such duties, a team chock full of finishers often finds itself on the floor as a collection of individuals who happen to be in the same uniform when they don’t make an effort to make plays for each other. While that might not explain the defensive lapses Boston made ad nauseam against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, it has been a consistent problem in most of the Celtics’ losses this season.

“To be honest, I give a lot of credit to the Hornets,” said All-Star forward Jaylen Brown after Boston’s 125 – 104 loss on Sunday. “They played extremely well tonight.”

"They came out smacked us in the mouth and we never recovered," he added.

And while Charlotte didn't quite break that 42-assist record, it did keep Boston on their heels throughout the contest. https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1386390524060258304?s=20

We have previously highlighted the importance to the Celtics of emphasizing ball movement to keep the team engaged and aggressive offensively, their higher-assist outings overwhelmingly correlating with wins this season. And when veteran guard Evan Fournier is back in game shape and the team more focused overall, we expect better results. But there's a reason the Celtics shot 38.6% from in a game where they had just 18 assists, and increasingly less time to absorb the lesson. This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook! [lawrence-related id=49474,49452,49445,49432] [listicle id=49455]

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