Jaylen Brown lost his man. Jayson Tatum jogged back. In the playoffs, those breakdowns aren’t just plays — they’re turning points.
In a previous article, we deep dived into the Celtics stars’ offensive struggles. In this second story, we will look into the other side of the court, where both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were problematic as well. The execution, the energy, and the focus sometimes went missing — and it was costly in such close games. These possessions could have been, and should have been, played better, and if they were, the Celtics wouldn’t be forced to attempt a 0-2 comeback.
We will first look into the half-court defense, where Jaylen Brown seems to get lost from time to time.
Jaylen Brown half-court defensive collapses
Jaylen Brown’s defense was showcased as a strength last year after his impressive work against Luka Doncic in the NBA Finals. Yet, defense is about more than stopping your one-on-one matchup with the ball.
In fact, it’s not even the most important part of defense. Slowing down an offense is a collective effort that requires focus, communication, and anticipation. And so far in this series against the New York Knicks, Brown has displayed none of the above. Below is an example where he is completely disconnected.
He is the weak-side defender with the ball is on his right and his matchup is on his left. As the play unfolds, he just stands still and doesn’t see the screen from Mikal Bridges coming right in front of him. He puts his arms around him and looks toward his matchup, OG Anunoby, a killer from three-point range. As Anunoby receives the ball, Brown finally reacts, but it’s too late.
Another possession that showcases the defensive issue. Here, Brown is in the stunt, ready to help on the drive if needed. But Luke Kornet is already there, so his positioning isn’t very impactful. As he looks for Miles McBride, his matchup, he sees him going to the corner. Yet, he doesn’t sprint, gets caught by a late screen from Mikal Bridges, and gives up another open three — this time, purely due to lack of focus.
That same lack of focus will later make him forget Bridges in the corner for a few seconds — just enough for the former Net to knock down a three and give the Knicks a six-point lead in overtime.
The more movement there is, the more his lack of focus and discipline becomes obvious. Here, it’s Jalen Brunson who cuts to the corner using a screen from Bridges. Jrue Holiday sees the problem coming and clearly tells Jaylen Brown to switch.
But Brown does not switch. Instead, it’s yet another open three in the corner for the Knicks — who desperately needed easy points to get back into Game 1 after being down by 20.
There were a couple of other examples of lost focus — missed boxouts that led to putbacks, or when Brown jumped on a Brunson pump fake despite knowing the small guard would hunt for free throws, like he did against Detroit.
What could be really frustrating as a Celtics fan is to count all the points generated from these mistakes in such a close game — especially with the rest of the defense being on point. But there were other defensive problems, especially in transition.
Lack of energy from the Jays in transition defense
Joe Mazzulla often talks about the margin, the process, and the little details that turn a loss into a win — or the other way around. Transition defense is one of those little details. And both Celtics stars failed to deliver and lead by example.
On this pull-up three, for instance, Jayson Tatum is too focused on watching the missed shot and doesn’t see his matchup, Anunoby, sprinting in transition. When the Knicks wing receives the ball from Hart, he’s already at the three-point line — while Tatum is still on the Knicks’ side of the court. That’s two free points for New York.
A few seconds later, he gives too much space to Jalen Brunson on a pull-up three and gifts the Knicks another open shot — despite a 2-on-4 situation in transition.
In overtime, the game is tied. The Celtics turn the ball over again and must sprint back to protect the paint. Tatum, once again, is too slow to react, and Anunoby sprints past him to cut into the lane. Josh Hart finds him, and it’s an and-one for the Knicks — who are now up three (after, like I love to remember, being down by 20 points).
Transition defense isn’t just about running back — it’s also about communication. Here, both Jaylen and Jayson look overwhelmed by the Knicks’ fastbreak. Tatum can’t contain Miles McBride’s drive, and Brown isn’t even looking at the ball or helping, which leads to a dunk.
The defensive performances from the leaders and go-to guys were disappointing — and cost the Celtics a game, maybe two. They still have plenty of minutes to fight back and make up for their mistakes, both on offense and defense. Nonetheless, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum need to step up — on both ends — if they want to give their team, and their fans, a real shot at success.